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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145414">Dead Man Walking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aibhilin/pseuds/Aibhilin'>Aibhilin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A story is what you make of it [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate universes galore, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Feels, Beware of the Cliffhangers, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Cliffhangers, Confusion, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dimension Travel, Experimental Style, Gen, I should know I do that too, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Marineford Shenanigans, Memory Loss, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Palindrome Shenanigans, Past Character Death, Potentially Dissatisfying Ending, Zombies made of Noodles, cliffhangers galore, irregular updates, is it time travel though?, it's in the story title but yeah, memory shenanigans, some people only read the tags ne?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:42:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,249</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aibhilin/pseuds/Aibhilin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ace always knew he was marked for death, unwanted in so many ways. The culmination of his bad luck of course would be a public execution that was as much a taunt to the family he had finally found as it was a warning to the world about the Marine's power.</p><p>He still wonders if he should have ever been born. (He would never regret saving his stupid little brother but if he hadn't been born then Luffy would have been just about anywhere else instead of in front of an Admiral he wasn't ready for.)</p><p>The universe at large has other ideas about his death though.<br/><br/>Because he remembers dying in his little brother's arms.<br/><br/>Or did he?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Buggy &amp; Portgas D. Ace, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco &amp; Portgas D. Ace, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco &amp; Portgas D. Ace &amp; Thatch, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco &amp; Thatch, Izou &amp; Thatch (One Piece), Monkey D. Luffy &amp; Portgas D. Ace &amp; Sabo, Portgas D. Ace &amp; Sabo, Portgas D. Ace &amp; Thatch, Portgas D. Ace &amp; Whitebeard Pirates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A story is what you make of it [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Hurry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yes, this story is coherent. No, it won't be what you expect it to be.</p><p><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtletails/pseuds/Turtletails">Turtletails</a> has kindly provided the most gorgeous, perfect summary I could use for this story, so I thank them very much! Go check them out, they're a prolific author here on ao3 as well!!!</p><p>More specific tags regarding content within some of the following chapters will be added in the <b>Author's Notes</b> preceding said chapters. Otherwise the story tags will become quite cluttered, I fear, particularly with as many different AUs and topics as I'll be exploring in this fic. As such, I'll remind you to please <i>mind the tags</i> and stay safe, y'all!</p><p>After everything is said and done, the multi-dimension theory never said the dimensions in question weren't linked, did it?<br/>This is a personal experiment in terms of exploring a multitude of different AUs and genres I wanted to try, among other stuff.</p><p>Enjoy?</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>While this story <i>is</i> an Advent Calendar Challenge of mine, I won't update daily for this one.<br/>It's got an updating schedule and all, so no worries there; just beware that it updates irregularly at randomly chosen dates instead of 24 consecutive ones.</p><p>Have fun reading~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Non est ad astra mollis e terris via.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(“It isn’t an easy way from the earth to the stars.”)</em>
</p><p>~Seneca, Hercules furens</p>
<hr/><p>Ace was running, his breath coming out of his mouth and nose in gusts, harsh and fast. The streets were deserted, their cobblestone floor barely providing him with enough traction to keep moving forward, his feet propelling him towards his destination where he knew he’d find- he’d see-</p><p>A full-body shudder ran through him. He paid the goosebumps that rose on his arms no mind, pumping his legs, willing them to give him the chance to arrive on time.</p><p>The street seemed to lengthen in front of him, dragging out the miles, the kilometers he’d still need to cover in order to become a witness to the moment where- the moment that changed history as it had been known so far, the moment when his-</p><p>But he wasn’t, was he? Whitebeard was. If he’d had the chance to choose, he’d choose his captain, over and over, choose his mother’s last name every single time if he could.  Yet, for all the others in their world, that was out of the question.</p><p>For all the people who didn’t know, who couldn’t and wouldn’t understand that he had never even met the man and his link to the first Pirate King consisted only of the fact that the man had fathered him.</p><p>He’d inherited his biological father’s sins by simply existing. And he’d <em>known</em> that!</p><p>There came a left turn that he had to take next, if he remembered the layout of the streets of this particular town correctly. He couldn’t miss this one – last time he’d been there, he’d accidentally done so and had been forced to take a detour that had taken thirty minutes longer than he’d wanted it to take.</p><p>Ace forced himself to pay attention to his surroundings for the brief moment where he turned left, then let his mind wander again, for he knew these streets. Not like the back of his hand, no, not like he knew the jungle surrounding Mount Corvo back on Dawn but he’d been curious and stayed on this island for long enough to get a feel for the place and the layout of the town burned into his mind.</p><p>After all was done and said, he’d wanted to know which streets the man had walked – as his first and last – before he’d met his end. Oh, he’d known Logue Town had been the first Pirate King's birthplace. How could he not?</p><p>Anytime anyone spoke of him and mentioned the place of his execution, they’d always as a by-the-way add on how it was fitting that the World Government had let him die where he’d been born. A good idea, it was, to end the Pirate King where he’d been born and put an end to the era of pirates at the same time.</p><p>That had always been said in one form or another by people who somehow hadn’t gotten the memo that the Pirate King's end had actually coincided with the beginnings of the <em>Golden Era of Pirates </em>– with his execution playing a vital role and him basically kickstarting it with his legendary speech about One Piece.</p><p>Funny, to Ace it rather seemed as though the World Government had reluctantly or not shown him respect and acknowledged him in his role as the Pirate King by doing so.</p><p>But no matter what anybody from the marines thought they were doing – and he had a lot of opinions about that, believe you me –, it didn’t change the fact that he was still much too far away to reach where he wanted to go. Lengthening his strides, he pumped his feet to run just that little bit faster, to hopefully arrive a little bit earlier.</p><p>(<em>and he didn’t even know if he was on time to witness it happening</em>)</p><p>(<em>he didn’t even know what he was doing there in the first place</em>)</p><p>(<em>did he even want to see that man, that monster before-?</em>)</p><p>Voices startled him out of his thoughts. Eyes widening, he scurried to the left to hide behind a few crates that had been piled up close to a wall. Staying silent for a few moments, his heart still raced underneath his yellow shirt (<em>when had he last worn a shirt, he wondered?</em>) as he waited for the voices to either come closer or move farther away from his position.</p><p>Glancing surreptitiously around the corner of the pile of crates, he hurried to pull back once more when his eyes caught the white uniforms that denoted a patrol of marines coming his way. That was not in his favour, at all. He mustn’t- he couldn’t be seen! If they saw him, they’d not hesitate to arrest him and most probably execute him alongside the man that had fathered him, if he was unlucky enough.</p><p>Ace – the Pirate King’s son, no, <em>Whitebeard’s</em> son – couldn’t let himself die here.</p><p>Quickly, he looked around for a quick way to better hide himself. The wall that went besides the crates sported a conveniently-located door, he saw, which ought to lead inside the house they’d been piled up against. Not lingering there for a single moment longer, he grabbed the handle, pulled the door open and slid inside.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you very much for reading!</p><p>Hope you liked it? Leave a comment if you'd like!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Consultation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Walking through the door, Ace's eyes come to land on Whitebeard.<br/>What was he doing there, again?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Consult: To seek approval for a course of action already decided upon.”</em>
</p><p>~Ambrose Bierce</p>
<hr/><p>Between one moment and the next, he found himself standing with his back to the door that he’d come through, the sea breeze caressing his hair and seagulls crying above him as they flew through the sails. The day was bright, the sun shining down from above as they passed a summer island on their way through the New World.</p><p>But the Pirate King- had he dreamed that? Disoriented for a while, his feet stayed rooted to the spot as he tried to make sense of where he was and what he’d seen. Unfocused, his eyes roamed the place, taking in his surroundings as if for the first time.</p><p>No, he was on the Moby Dick, that was correct. Hadn’t he talked to Marco just five minutes ago?</p><p>Right, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Hadn’t been wearing one for more than a year now, ever since he’d gotten that tattoo on his back. Uncomfortable for undiscernible reasons, Ace shook his head to get rid of what had obviously been a daydream. It wouldn’t do for him to be this out of sorts now, particularly not since he’d only recently accepted the position as Second Commander of the Whitebeards.</p><p>He couldn’t allow himself to falter, now.</p><p>Squaring his shoulders, he was surprised when in the next instant, the door at his back opened and he politely stood aside as some of Whitebeard’s sons passed through. Ah, they were from the fourth division, weren’t they? Respectfully, they greeted him and he nodded back with a perfunctory smile on his face, trying to remember what exactly he’d come out here to do.</p><p>Right, he’d wanted to talk to Whitebeard, hadn’t he?</p><p>Almost unconsciously, his head moved to have his vision rest on the giant chair the edges of which were only just visible from where he stood. A bit of movement told him that Edward Newgate was indeed occupying said chair and, Ace assumed, basking in the sun and enjoying the good weather for as long as he could. After all, that could change in the blink of an eye, on the Grand Line.</p><p>But what did he want to talk to his captain about? Still a bit out of it, he slowly ambled over, thinking over what had happened and what he’d talked to Marco about. Yeah, right. Ace had wanted his opinion on the most recent prototype drawings of the Striker that he’d conjured up last night. And when Ace had said that he’d want to get Oyaji’s opinion next, Marco had told him to let Oyaji know that the nurses had demanded their captain be there for his next check-up that afternoon.</p><p>Sighing at his own sieve of a memory, Ace relaxed. How could he have forgotten this fast what they’d talked about nigh ten minutes ago? Shaking his head ruefully, he approached Oyaji, who was speaking to Kingdew, Haruta and Thatch about what seemed to be a new mission coming up. Ace smiled. He’d had the chance to get off the Moby Dick for a mission of his own just a week ago, so he was quite content to let the other commanders have at it with their divisions for now.</p><p>The Moby Dick didn’t anchor at as many islands as smaller ships needed to, so it was very understandable to him that the long weeks, sometimes months at sea could be stifling to the best of them – he’d thought he’d go spare, himself, before taking part in that mission had been suggested to him.</p><p>His Oyaji acknowledged his presence with a nod, before he went back to listening to the Commanders. Patiently, politely, he waited for his turn, not even making an attempt at listening in, when his mind wandered elsewhere entirely.</p><p>That had been Logue Town in his dream, hadn’t it? He’d recognized the cobblestones and the make-up of that city. And he’d been running towards- no, he’d been running from- his mind ground to a halt at the perplexing bout of questions that turned up when he thought back to what his imagination had conjured up. Frowning, his brows furrowed and he lost himself in his thoughts.</p><p>What had he been doing there, he wondered? And why there, of all places?</p><p>It had been more than a month since he’d last thought about his heritage, at all. That had been shortly before he’d taken up the mantle of Second Division Commander. Back then, he’d had a talk with Oyaji, as well, to tell him about the man who’d fathered him and Ace’s relation to him.</p><p>To have Oyaji laugh at his insistence that it was an important matter (<em>it had influenced his whole upbringing, his whole life, in the end, hadn’t it? Wasn’t that </em>important<em>, in the grand scheme of things?</em>) and explain to him that they were all “children of the sea” and that his origins had nothing to do with how Whitebeard saw him in the end had taken a load off his shoulders.</p><p>Ever since, he’d had a lighter air about him and hadn’t thought about that secret that the World Government would have killed him for long ago.</p><p>Was it going to come bite him in the end? Ace didn’t know. But he’d take each day as it came until then and took the chance to <em>live</em>, for once, in a crew that he could call his family.</p><p>“You’ve been quiet, son. What’s on your mind?” Startled out of his thoughts, the fire logia floundered for a brief moment before turning to the speaker.</p><p>Whitebeard’s face was open, the moustache turned up in a kind expression alongside the eyes which had crinkles in the corners. With surprise, Ace noted that the other Commanders had left the deck already, probably having gone to prepare for the mission and notify everyone else about it.</p><p>Mouth opened a little bit, Ace looked at the old captain, with the IV-stand connected to him, sitting regally in his chair surrounded by his children. He did see a greying man, old enough to have stories with him from all over the world and to have seen the Pirate King in the flesh. Ace wondered what they’d been like, back then, when they’d clashed.</p><p>“I was just… thinking.” Shaking himself out of it, he went on to say, “Marco wants to let you know that the nurses told him your presence was required in the infirmary for the check-up this afternoon.”</p><p>Rare instance though it was, Ace took notice of the absence of a nurse at his Oyaji’s side. They’d most likely left him alone for once, to enjoy the weather and goings-on up on deck by himself without pestering him about his health, thinking – correctly – that they weren’t needed direly right then and could take a much-needed break from the constant monitoring they’d been doing lately. It must have been a bit of a welcome reprieve for the captain as well as the nurses.</p><p>The moustached man nodded his assent. What else had he…? His gaze wandered to the floor, thinking back on what he’d spoken with Marco about last. Ah, true. For the first time, he took note of the pieces of paper that he was still clutching in his right hand.</p><p>Looking back up at his captain again, his face radiated joy as he held up his drawings so the other could see them.</p><p>“Oyaji, look! I’ve made a few corrections to the design – and I’ll have to show these to Rakuyo once I get the chance to – but other than that, the prototype for the Striker should be finished soon!”</p><p>Leaning down to properly scrutinize the drawings, the old man gave Ace and his drawings his whole attention. “That’s that vessel you’ve been working on lately, isn’t it? Is it a boat?”</p><p>“Yah, it’s small, but with my Fruit it’s gonna be one of the fastest out there!” Ace boasted.</p><p>Giving in to the silent request to hand him the drawings, Ace waited with bated breath as Whitebeard leaned back in his seat and had a good look through the papers.</p><p>When, upon finishing his perusal of them, Whitebeard nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, Ace felt happiness stir within himself. While he’d never been one to actively seek anyone’s approval (<em>Dadan’s or Gramps’ least of all</em>), he was quite content to get it from his chosen father figure. The corners of his mouth appeared to be fixed in their upwards position that day, and Ace couldn’t bring himself to care about anyone else’s opinion but his Oyaji’s.</p><p>“That’s quite a thorough plan you’ve drawn up. I’m looking forward to seeing it in action, son.” Despite everything, hearing that endearing term was something Ace was still getting used to. He felt warm inside from the open show of pride that the old captain deigned to bestow upon him.</p><p>Then Newgate leaned back and, glancing left and right in mischievous sneakiness – Ace had a feeling he knew where his Oyaji was going with this – the white-haired man leaned to the side a tad before withdrawing a bottle of sake from who-knew-where. Ace sighed to himself, already having gotten used to the spiel, yet remaining a bit apprehensive when considering the old captain’s health.</p><p>Exasperated in the face of his Oyaji’s open and continuous defiance towards the nurses’ orders – not unlike every single one of the other Whitebeard Commanders he’d gotten to know quite well in his time aboard the ship –, he opened his mouth to say something, but paused when his eyes caught the sake bottle in his Oyaji’s hand, with the fluid inside churning around in extraordinary patterns.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>... "Irregular Updates" doesn't mean I don't get to update twice a day. ;)<br/>I had a rough day of it, so I get to unleash another chapter on the world in exchange. Hope you liked it! :D</p><p>Let me know what you think?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Company</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A loud shout made him snap out of whatever trance he’d found himself in and shake his head to get rid of the cobwebs that seemed gathering there. Right. He had a job to do, hadn’t he? Turning around, he grabbed the glasses standing on the bar to put them into the sink to be washed. Next, he grabbed a towel and wiped off the surface closest to him.</p><p>The bar was rowdy at this time of the night.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The company you keep is often a reflection of yourself... then again, a company can also be a business venture, ne? :D</p><p>Have fun reading~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Adapt yourself to the environment in which your lot has been cast, and show true love to the fellow-mortals with whom destiny has surrounded you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Alternatively: “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”</em>
</p><p>Οἷς συγκεκλήρωσαι πράγμασι, τούτοις συνάρμοζε σεαυτόν, καὶ οἷς συνείληχας ἀνθρώποις, τούτους φίλει, ἀλλ ἀληθινῶς.<br/><br/>~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations VI, 39</p><hr/><p>The sake swirled around and around in the bottle and when he looked up he noticed that he held it in his own hands, the liquid creating weird shapes that he could almost make out as familiar to him.</p><p>A loud shout made him snap out of whatever trance he’d found himself in and shake his head to get rid of the cobwebs that seemed gathering there. Right. He had a job to do, hadn’t he? Turning around, he grabbed the glasses standing on the bar to put them into the sink to be washed. Next, he grabbed a towel and wiped off the surface closest to him.</p><p>The bar was rowdy at this time of the night. He needed to stop daydreaming and do what he’d been hired for. Yet, a niggling at the back of his head didn’t let go of his thoughts and he couldn’t get rid of the conversation with Whitebeard that he’d dreamed up.</p><p>Weird, that. Everyone knew the Whitebeards – how could they not? It was a Yonko crew, after all – but Ace hadn’t had a chance to meet them yet, so why did he dream up a conversation with the Yonko himself? And call him <em>Oyaji</em>, on top of that? Huffing in exasperation at his own imagination, Ace gathered his wits about him and <em>stayed present</em>,<em> dammit</em>, at least until most of the clients had left the bar and it was about time to close down for the night.</p><p>“What’s got you so occupied tonight?” The voice came out of nowhere, as per usual, and Ace was proud to say he only tensed a little bit this time.</p><p>(<em>way too many barfights had started with him being startled by someone sneaking up on him and Ace reacting on instincts that had been honed in his years spent in the jungle and Grey Terminal</em>)</p><p>(<em>no, he decidedly did </em>not<em> want a repeat of the last one where he’d actually had to use his fire to make the rowdiest ones to leave the bar</em>)</p><p>(<em>funny how Shakky had the uncanny ability to read him like an open book – last time that had happened he’d been with Sa-</em>)</p><p>“Who, me? Nothing, nothing.” Ah, he couldn’t hope to fool Shakky, could he? His boss wasn’t one of the best information brokers on this side of the Grand Line for nothing.</p><p>A few seconds spent in companiable silence with him washing the dishes and her leaning leisurely on the bar regarding him with a thoughtful face, and he broke and told her, “Okay, yeah. I was thinking about” a fantasy? A daydream? A different reality? “a dream I had last night.” He did not want to go on about it. It was bad enough he’d not been able to keep it out of his head that evening.</p><p>The woman huffed out a small laugh before she turned and had a good look at her bar. That was the best thing about Shakky – if you didn’t want to say any more, she had ways to make you without using the direct option of asking. When it came to him, she usually refrained from using them. (<em>he really didn’t know what Makino had told Shakky when she’d hired him on the Party Bar owner’s recommendation and he didn’t particularly want to find out, either</em>)</p><p>Ace snorted at the idea of Makino of all people being intimidating to anyone. Oh, she was a bar owner and as such he had the highest respect for her – and she’d probably seen more than her fair share of weirdos wander through the doors of said bar – but to him, she was the kind, down-to-earth and nice woman that had brought him and his brothers clothes and food up to the bandits’ Mountain hideout together with Mayor Woop Slap.</p><p>And she’d absolutely helped him out of a bind that one day when he’d jumped over his shadow and called her.</p><p>Wiping down the counters, he went on to prepare the bar for the following night, while Shakky went through the fridge’s inventory, meticulously noting down anything they’d need to buy the next day. The silence that fell over the two of them going about their preset tasks was comfortable and familiar.</p><p>He’d not been there for long yet, but he felt right at home in the bar. It was a stark difference to the role of a captain that he’d fulfilled for about half a year before this. Ruefully, he thought back to his days on the sea. Ace didn’t regret his decision to disband the crew – the Spades had accompanied him faithfully on his journey throughout the first half of the Grand Line and almost all of them hung around on Sabaody to this day – still, he’d enjoyed it nonetheless.</p><p>Up to that certain moment, when he’d felt quite literally stuck; stuck at the point in time that his life had led up to then, stuck in his search for a purpose that was more fulfilling and more satisfying to him than the vague notion of “making his own mark out there, apart from being Roger’s offspring” and stuck trying to figure out <em>how</em> to be satisfied when leaving a legacy that others would connect more with his own name than anything else. Restlessness had overcome him and he’d not been content with being a pirate – or even the captain of his own crew – any longer.</p><p>That’s the point where he’d, on a stupid whim and for the first time in all the years of knowing it by heart, dared call Makino’s Den Den number.</p><p>Snapping out of the downturn his mood had taken, he turned towards the next task almost mechanically. Mopping the floor always came last on the list of things to do before they could head to bed. The quiet was broken by Shakky’s announcement.</p><p>“The Whitebeards are rumoured to be headed this way.” Ace didn’t quite know what to do with the information, so he just plunged the mop back into the bucket filled with water, grunting noncommittally in acknowledgement of her utterance.</p><p>“They’re going to cast off from Fishman Island tomorrow morning. Rayleigh said he was going to meet up with Marco and bring him back here for that drink that he owes him.” Ah. So she wanted him to be vigilant when those two entered the bar? Did she want him to eavesdrop better than she could? If so, then she was in for a disappointment. Eavesdropping didn’t come easy to him, it never had and never would – it had always been the specialty of Sabo back then, before-</p><p>No. Don’t think about that.</p><p>Forcing his thoughts back to the present, he considered what Shakky had implied with her statement. So the Whitebeards would be in town tomorrow? Big deal, it wasn’t as though they were going to start a riot, what with the marines keeping a close eye on the last city on the other side of the first half of the Grand Line. True, Mariejoise was pretty close, as well, what with it being located right on top of the Red Line, but no one was dumb enough to try anything with the Tenryuubito – and, consequently, lots of marine guards – this close.</p><p>“I’m going to join them for a bit of small talk. Would it be okay if you went shopping for a few ingredients in my stead?” Ah. Nodding to her, he went about finishing his task. He parsed it for what exactly she wanted him to do: shopping and keeping the hell away from them while they discussed delicate matters, most likely.</p><p>Well, it wasn’t as though he hadn’t learned anything from his <em><strike>dead</strike></em> brother back then. He’d make sure to position a Den Den Mushi somewhere to listen in on their “chat” without them knowing – and hide it really, <em>really</em> well this time. Last time he’d tried to eavesdrop, Shakky had reacted as though she’d almost expected it from him once she’d found him listening from the other side of the door. Her look had been filled with disappointment at his failure more than anything else, and his ears had been burning for quite a while from the mild reproach in her words. Ace would not make that mistake a second time.</p><hr/><p>Ah, it wasn’t his day.</p><p>First, he’d slept far longer than he’d anticipated, next he’d proceeded not to find any one of the Den Den Mushis that regularly littered the flat above the bar, never mind any of his socks, and then upon entering the bar, he’d immediately had Shakky thrust a list into his hands that was far longer than “a few ingredients” implied.</p><p>Narrowing his eyes, he took it and shuffled out the door, grumbling about the world’s unfairness and that day in particular.</p><p>Rayleigh and Shakky and that ominous-sounding Marco were probably having a grand old time of it back at the bar while he was out here, spending the day at the market. Not that he didn’t like the market, oh no, but he did not like being purposely excluded from “important talks that may or may not involve him” (<em>and it had sounded like one of those, truly it had</em>).</p><p>At a spice stand, he perused the offer available, taking several minutes to choose which of the spices Shakky had written down that they’d soon run out of and thinking back to which ones he knew that the flat above the bar was running short on in the near future. The first was by far the easier task, considering he’d forgotten to make himself a list of the things that he’d need to buy to replenish the fridge that only Shakky and he had access to.</p><p>Humming to himself absentmindedly, Ace glanced from one edge of the stand to the other, contemplating his choices and trying to figure out how they fit into what he <em>knew</em> he still had plenty of back at home.</p><p>“You know, if you stare the spices down for long enough, your face will get stuck like that.” A humour-filled voice commented from his right-hand side. Looking up at the speaker had him do a double-take. That hairstyle was <em>absurd</em>. And he could actually make a judgement on that, he’d seen a lot of plain weird ones in his time on Sabaody.</p><p>The man with the stupid looking hairdo (was that gel in his hair? Ewww…) continued by introducing himself, “I’m Thatch, hi. Sorry about that – it slipped out before I could do anything about it, heh – but seriously, your frown is way too deep for such a lovely day out.”</p><p>His answering “Huh?” was as eloquent as it was appropriate to the situation.</p><p>Laughing in response, the (<em>it did have a name, didn’t it? Wasn’t that called a “pompadour”?</em>) weirdly-coiffed guy didn’t make a move to leave anytime soon. Instead, he said, “You’re a funny one!” (<em>he was one to talk!</em>) “I like you. So, what spice were you looking for?”</p><p>Reluctantly, as though the answer was dragged out of him by the teeth, the youth replied, “… Nothing in particular, I was just looking, really.”</p><p>“Ah. You new here, then?”</p><p>“No.” And he wasn’t. He’d been on Sabaody for more than a year by then, hadn’t he? Ace couldn’t quite remember. The teenager blinked in bemusement. “You a tourist, then?” slipped out before he could stop himself and quit engaging with the stranger.</p><p>“Yaaaah, something like that.” Thatch (?) made a vague wavy gesture with his hand. “I’m a cook, actually.” That explained the chef’s get-up he was wearing, what with the pristine white trousers and the evenly distributed buttons on the suit of the same colour. The only differently coloured thing on him were a yellow scarf tied neatly yet loosely around his neck and the light brown shoes he was sporting. Ace didn’t know why but it had reminded him of a chef’s costume, already before he'd been told it was one, and he hadn't thought it out of place between the food stalls at all.</p><p>“Oh, would you look at that!” in the minute that Ace had been drifting off while staring at the other, the guy had let his gaze wander towards the next stand over and apparently spotted something.</p><p>(<em>“Ace! I found something interesting!”</em>)</p><p>Shaking himself mentally, Ace looked at whatever had caught his current companion’s attention. “Oh, ain’t that a Devil Fruit?” passed through his lips before he could help himself. The phrase sounded ominous to his own ears, and kept ringing through his head long after he’d said it. Thatch, meanwhile, had gone over to that stall and picked it up. Holding it in his hand, he beckoned Ace over with the other one.</p><p>The teenager followed the beckon, his mind and body on autopilot. He’d heard that before, hadn’t he? What was it called… ah, he was having a déjà-vu, wasn’t he? It wasn’t anything good in any case, and he could not ignore the alarm bells that were going off in his head. His hackles and his shoulders rose in response to the perceived threat that he wasn’t able to fully comprehend. It was just a Devil Fruit, wasn’t it? By itself, it wasn’t about to do anything, was it? Devil Fruits were valuable, yes, and their Users could get into all sorts of shenanigans - Ace was the prime example for some of those -, yet, by itself, it wasn't anything special, right?</p><p>... Right?</p><p>The cook had by then gone back to closely regarding the fruit that he was holding up.</p><p>“Huh. I don’t know what fruit it is yet, though.”</p><p>Desperate to break up the moment, Ace thought of something else to say while he kept the first thing that popped into his mind as an answer to the other’s statement firmly to himself, “You gonna buy it?”</p><p>“… Yah, I think I will.” Thatch signalled the stall owner and paid for his purchase. Only when the damnable fruit was safely stored within Thatch’s bag was Ace able to breathe easily, again. Nevertheless, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going on, with him and his spontaneous companion smack in the middle of it.</p><p>Pushing his thoughts momentarily to the back of his head, his hands latched onto the arm of the cook almost automatically. His feet began moving on their own accord and he dragged the other straight out of the market. Only once they were in one of the side alleys of Sabaody's Tourist Zone, did he let go of the older man and he apologised, although he looked down and to the side, with one hand rubbing his neck a little, when he said, “Sorry. Dunno what came over me.”</p><p>Makino might have drilled him on the need to face one’s conversation partner whilst apologising way back when, but she wasn’t here to correct him or look at him disappointedly and he was not above exploiting that loophole for all it was worth.</p><p>“Ah, no harm done! This is closer to the Amusement Park, isn’t it?” Ace looked up at Thatch, wondering what the other was planning. “Isn’t the Lawless Zone just over there, as well? That sounds interesting.” A grin adorned the scarred face as he said that.</p><p>The thought that the stranger might be a pirate entered Ace's head for the first time. If so, that’d explain his sudden interest in the latter of the two places available.</p><p>He blinked once, twice, before, begrudgingly, admitting, “… Yeah.”</p><hr/><p>That was how somehow – he didn’t know <em>how exactly</em>, but anyways, somehow – Ace found himself accompanying a most cheerful and most assuredly cheerfully <em>lawless</em> individual over to the Lawless Zone of Sabaody. He didn’t mind, he’d gotten what he’d wanted and needed to buy, in the end – they’d gone to another merchant to pick up what they were still missing –, but he wasn’t certain if the other’s cheerfulness was catching and Ace didn’t know if he wanted to be on the receiving end of it for the rest of the day, either.</p><p>“So, what do you do when you’re not going shopping and staring at spices?”</p><p>“… I’m a bartender.” And it sounded so <em>wrong</em> to him now, when at the start of his career on Sabaody, at the start of this day even, it had sounded so right to his ears. He didn’t know what had changed. From one moment to the next, his perception of the job had become a negative one, as though all of a sudden it was a shoe that didn’t fit him anymore. As though the position was too small, too unrecognisable, too unimportant for him.</p><p>What had happened?</p><p>Dimly, he could remember hearing Makino say the words <em>“Oh, you’d be a great help in my bar!”</em> back when he’d completed his lessons on politeness with her, and then her words from that call that he’d initiated when he’d still been a captain of a pirate crew on a ship, drifting, in the middle of the ocean, with the sea to both sides and no clear direction to go in to be found anywhere any more, <em>“You know, I know someone where you will be in very good hands, if you need it.”</em></p><p>Eyes glassy, he barely managed to put one foot in front of the other.</p><p>“Ah, there it is! The Rip Off Bar!” That exclamation pulled him out of his thoughts. When he turned his head up to look, they were indeed on their way to the bar’s entrance. Had they already passed the Amusement Park? Just how out of it was he today to have missed <em>that</em>? It wasn’t a short way from there to here – he must’ve really drifted off into his own head to not have noticed the time passing outside of it. The fire logia frowned in consternation, berating himself mentally for not paying enough attention to his surroundings.</p><p>They were a few steps away from the entryway, when the door opened and a strange looking man stepped outside into the sun. Ace’s eyes fell to come to a halt on the tattoo that was prominently displayed on the other’s chest. A pirate, then? Now if only Ace could remember which crew that particular mark belonged to…</p><p>His musings were soon interrupted by Thatch’s shout of “Marco!”</p><p>Ah, so that was the mysterious Marco? Right on his heels followed Shakky and Rayleigh, evidently about to see him off. “Ace! Back already? Welcome back!” Rayleigh’s greeting sounded slightly off, though Ace couldn’t begin to fathom what was wrong with it.</p><p>The man’s hairdo held more of his attention at that point. To be fair, he’d met barely anyone whose hair resembled an upended banana until then and didn’t know anyone who could actually pull that look off personally yet.</p><p>Opening his mouth to say something, Ace was arrested in his tracks at the sight of a top hat only just visible from around the bar’s far corner, just behind the group of three.</p><p>Side by side with him, it would probably reach up to his hip and was worn by a young face, a face that he hadn’t seen in years, in almost a decade strictly speaking, and one that he wasn’t prepared to see there in the first place.</p><p>Ace stared in numb realisation of who that was in front of him.</p><p>That hat – and the goggles, couldn’t forget the goggles – and the scratched-at royally blue and black and white clothes, complete with holes in them and all, and that face looking directly at him before it turned and ran right around the corner of the bar had Ace disregard anyone else who might’ve been there and said something to him and pump his legs to catch up to him, to the blond whom he hadn’t thought he’d see ever again and what was he doing here, where was he running, wait, that was <em>Sabo</em>-</p><p>Rounding the corner, Ace wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you very much for reading! :D Hope you liked it~</p><p>Leave a comment if you're in the mood for it?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. If</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Growing up in a graveyard does predispose someone to taking things in stride.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had fun with this one! :D</p><p>Hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it~</p><p>Additional Warning for: profanity, cursing (they're pirates, not nuns) and swearing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“αἴκα.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(/aika/)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(“If.”)</em>
</p><p>~The Spartans in response to Philip II of Macedon’s threat of “If I should invade Laconia, I shall drive you out”.</p>
<hr/><p>Coming to a halt in front of the zombie – yes, that was a zombie, indeed – Ace found that he was pissed off. Sluggishly, the body moved towards him at the speed of a snail munching a piece of grass. The young boy narrowed his eyes before he raised his pipe above him and hit the body once, with his whole body behind the hit. As a reaction, he got a pitiful moan from the thing.</p><p>Retracting the pipe, he lunged to take a big swing at the stupid meat collection and hit it once more. Ah, make that twice, for good measure.</p><p>And then again for every word he spoke, “Where! Is! Luffy! You! Dumb! Sack of noodles!!!”</p><p>To be fair, he’d seen noodle-like things scurrying from inside the body-like thing that had made up the last zombie he’d defeated, so he was sure his shouted-out judgemental description couldn’t be far off from what was truly inside of the weird human-like things constantly coming towards him.</p><p>Sheesh, all he’d wanted was to find Luffy. Glancing to his right, he confirmed that no, there had not been a bar where he’d rounded the corner. Instead, in its place there was a headstone a bit higher than he was – as was to be expected, really, from a graveyard such as this one. Rolling his eyes at his own imagination, he descended on the zombie. All his opponent was wont to do was moan unintelligibly and then combust into noodles.</p><p>Dang it, he didn’t have time to deal with that. Ace needed to find Luffy and asap! They’d wanted to hunt for money in the nearby city and he couldn’t do it alone. He wasn’t nearly as “adorable” or “cute” as the people there decided to label Luffy. Being three years older, Ace was more likely to be called “rascal”. If the people he met felt charitable they even said it in an unironically fond tone of voice. Other times, he was named “brat” or “miscreant” by any onlookers. Those were the nicer terms he’d come across.</p><p>And then it was just him in that section of the graveyard, with the noodles rapidly disappearing from the scene. Ace never cared to look closely at them – not that he’d see much of the details, really, not unless he held them mere inches away from his face – and ventured on.</p><p>Last he’d seen Luffy had been when they’d been assaulted by a bunch of those useless noodle sacks. He’d taken his eyes off the younger kid for one moment – one freaking blink of an eye he'd looked away to smack the zombie right in front of him before he’d turned back! – and that had apparently been all it had taken to have him lose sight of the strawhatted boy completely.</p><p>Had Sabo still been with him, he’d have been able to keep an eye on the absent-mindedly wandering boy for him while he’d have soundly defeated the group of zombies, but if horses were wishes and all that bull.</p><p>Not for the first time he mourned the loss of his brother-in-arms.</p><p>Pushing the thought to the back of his head – he couldn’t do anything about that, after all, he was just a homeless kid who’d grown up living in a graveyard, he didn’t even know where Sabo’s parents <em>lived</em> to try and get him back –, he turned to the left this time.</p><p>It was no use, of course. The graveyard was huge, stretching from the edge of the capital city to the foot of the mountain range that comprised the border of their country. Kilometres upon kilometres of graves, big and small, wide and abysmally thin, lined up like there was no tomorrow. Fortunate were the ones who knew their ways around the various gravesites, for one could actually get lost here.</p><p>(<em>some people had indeed lost their way and had been left to wander around the graves aimlessly for days</em>)</p><p>(<em>they’d died under mysterious circumstances, rumours said, never to be seen again</em>)</p><p>(<em>and when their money had vanished with their corpses, no one had bat an eye</em>)</p><p>Going left or right didn’t make a difference but it did help Ace remember where he’d gone. Unlike in a dream, where apparently he could drift off into his thoughts with no greater consequences to speak of, here he had to pay attention and stay alert at all times, or he’d be lost, too.</p><p>Admittedly, that daydream of his had been nice to look at and it wasn’t the first time that Ace had fantasized about being anywhere else, but everyone knew that the sea was too far away to reach in a reasonable time by foot and a life as a bartender was possibly the last thing on his mind. Hey, if it got him out of this deadzone, he’d take anything.</p><p>First things first, though. He had to survive – and find Luffy, first of all. A noise in the distance caught his attention.</p><p>“...-ce! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaace! <em>Aaaaaaaaaaace!</em> <strong>AAAAAAAAAAAACE</strong>!” Letting a smile steal over his face, the freckled boy knew which direction he’d choose next.</p>
<hr/><p>... what the hell. Had Bluejam and his gang gone mad? That was the only explanation Ace could think up, once he was close enough to the scene where they had Luffy tied up and dangling from the scythe of a strange old statue. The thing was wearing a long robe with a hood and boney hands held onto the scythe. From his vantage point, it almost looked as thou it were some thin thread that connected the scythe with the statue, although Ace knew that couldn’t be the case. Maybe it was wire?</p><p>Breaking the statue was out of the question. Ace didn’t want to get cooties and who knew if whoever had created that statue hadn’t put a curse on it to make anyone who broke it shit their pants all the time? He knew that if he’d been the one to carve such a statue, he wouldn’t be above that.</p><p>Hunching down behind a headstone, the boy considered his options. Attacking immediately and without backup?</p><p>There were about eight adults in that gang in total that he knew of and while Ace wasn’t a whimp, he knew the odds of getting them both out safe and healthy took priority over him simply letting loose to fight them. He didn’t have Sabo there to watch his back – and not for the first time he cursed his helplessness when it came to getting his brothers out of these kinds of situations.</p><p>That’s why he actually had to think about the most efficient way to get the two of them to safety by himself, and fast. Not for the first time, he lamented Sabo's family's wealth. Really, had the blond just been born inside the graveyard like everyone else, everything would have been so much easier and they’d have been spared a lot of headaches.</p><p>Glancing over the headstone, Ace immediately ducked back down and worked through what he’d seen.</p><p>Four adults, most probably from Bluejam's gang, standing around in a loose circle, check.</p><p>Luffy still hanging from the statue's scythe, check.</p><p>An open grave directly below Luffy, check.</p><p>Ace's eyes snapped open and his body tensed in alarm. What on earth were they planning?</p><p>Looking to his left, he Ace’s eyes meet Sabo’s and he nodded in the habitual sign for a successful check-in between the two. Then he glared back at the ground. Bluejam had to have some sort of plan to have Luffy hung up directly above an open grave-</p><p>Wait.</p><p>What.</p><p>Sabo?</p><p>Eyes wide, his head swiveled around to land on a certain blond who’s hunkering down behind a neighbouring gravestone, muffling his snickering as best he could manage. Ace mouths at him “What the hell! Sabo?”, not expecting his partner-in-crime to react much beyond the shaking shoulders, his hands still covering his mouth. This changed things.</p><p>Calming down somewhat, the other boy made to hunch down behind his gravestone, seemingly trying to sneak over to Ace’s. Yet more alarmed all of a sudden, Ace shook his head.</p><p>What if Bluejam or his gang noticed him?</p><p>That was reckless, <em>stupid, <strong>headless</strong></em>-</p><p>and then the blond was running over on tiptoes, lightning fast and silent as the wind, Ace’s heartbeat speeding up until he could safely grab a hold of Sabo’s arm and drag him over the last bit to come to a halt and sit besides him. Heart in his throat, the black-haired boy tensed up and waited, counting to twenty and consciously forcing himself to slow down once he got there to continue on until he reached fourty.</p><p>Only when he passed fifty and there were no signs of anything changing did he whack Sabo over the head, once, as hard and as noiselessly as he could.</p><p>“What the hell?!?” was all he got in return for his caring.</p><p>Narrowing his eyes at his chosen brother, Ace glared at him, hissing right back, “What do you mean, what the hell? Where’d you come from, anyways? I thought-“</p><p>“I need to leave.”</p><p>He was cut off before he could go on and, in exchange, simply went with the flow, asking, “Your parents-"</p><p>“Yeah, I gotta disappear for real this time. Or they’ll just take me back home again.” the ex-noble rushed to explain, whispering and cutting him off, <em>Yet. Again.</em>, “I want to know that you’ll be safe – there’s an organization that I wanna join."</p><p>Knowing he had Ace's undivided attention, he went on, "Imma offer this to you two, too, but only once: wanna come with me?”</p><p>That was. What even was going on? Ace’s head was swimming with the information Sabo had simply dumped on him, expecting him to keep up. To gain some more time to think on his answer, he whacked the blond over the head again simply because he could. Wasn’t like the other boy couldn’t take it, what with his stubborn head being this thick. Ace deigned to ignore the “What the hell was <em>that</em> for?” that he got for his trouble.</p><p>The older boy sighed.</p><p>One thing at a time. Focusing his eyes back on the headstone, he told the blond, “Luffy’s strung up over there” – <sub><em>“I know”</em></sub> – “and we’re gonna hafta get him out first.” Finished, he looked back at the blond, a grin forming on his face.</p><p>Ace already knew from the mirroring expression on the other boy’s face that his invitation for him to join the brawl would be accepted.</p><p>“Let’s?”</p><p>“Let’s.”</p><p>Twin shark grins adorned their faces.</p>
<hr/><p>Cutting Luffy down had been easier than they’d expected. Bluejam’s gang hadn’t just consisted of four adults, although, to be fair, Ace could be forgiven for mistaking the two zombies for human beings, in the end. What was new was that apparently they followed orders? Eh, who knew. One day they’d evolve to bring people juice whenever they wished for some.</p><p>Ace put it to the rest of the things he wouldn’t ever get in his head and was perfectly happy with that. Carrying Luffy was the easiest thing to do, really, in light of the boy’s exhaustion from all the shouting that he’d done. As overjoyed as the younger kid had been that Sabo had come back – and oh, the face of horrified realisation on the blond as Luffy had initiated the hug that had thrown the two of them over and straight into the mess of dust and dirt that was the dug-out grave was one that Ace wouldn’t forget anytime soon.</p><p>Smirking at the blond’s back while he followed him towards a destination unknown, he hefted Luffy’s smaller body higher up for a better grip.</p><p>The “I know you’re grinning, Ace, stop it.” thrown back at him made him school his features, however not for long.</p><p>Then, the ex-noble went around another headstone's corner and stopped and Ace halted besides him. There were people ahead, adults, one of whom with – was that a tracksuit? turning towards them.</p><p>Sabo began walking over there, greeting them cheerfully while Ace remained behind, cautious as had become his habit. Luffy huffed a little at his back and Ace’s gaze was attracted towards the sound. That was pretty much the only reason why he noticed the lone candle burning away at eye-level on a small ledge that was chiselled into the headstone.</p><p>The flame was flickering, the fire small but steady, and for some reason, Ace felt compelled to, he had to, had to reach it, he moved Luffy’s weight more onto his right hand and put his left hand up to-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Plutarch states that Philip II of Macedon sent word to the Spartans, saying that “if I should invade Laconia, I shall drive you out.” The Spartans replied with “if”. <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0287%3Asection%3D17">Source</a>.</p><p>Additional Tag that I am still on the fence about if I ought to put it with the main tags above: Zombies made of Pasta.</p><p>This chapter was put online on the 14.06.2020. Apparently today's father's day, too? Happy father's day, y'all!</p><p>Please don't hesitate to leave a comment, if you're in the mood to~!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Cave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A cave is just that: bleak, dark and damp. Well, good thing he's got fire at his hands, isn't it?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one's... a little different. I did say I was experimenting, didn't I? Welcome to the experiment! :D</p><p>Additional warning: mention of a kinda convoluted form of imprisonment (you'll see), depressive notions and, well. Hallucinations? (does it count as one, though, I wonder?) Beware of the mental health problems ahead, and heavy ones at that. Just saying.</p><p>Enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short.”</em>
</p><p>~Bertrand Russel</p>
<hr/><p>The flame that he’d been about to touch with his left hand in that daydream of his flickered leisurely, suspended above his right hand, palm up. Transfixed, his gaze hung onto it hungrily for a few moments longer, before he snuffed it out. Closing his eyes, he let the natural glow of his skin, with fire dancing across it in irregular patterns, light up the cavern around him.</p><p>How much time had passed outside, he wondered? For how long had he been trapped here, in that underground cave system that spanned across less of a distance than the mountain where he’d grown up on had been big?</p><p>His shoulders slumped dejectedly. What a dumb situation he’d managed to get into. Not for the first time, he berated himself on his stupidity way back when-.</p><p>Ah well. As long as he was able to survive, he’d be alright. He still had to give back that hat, didn’t he? Innocently, the straw hat that he’d put onto the driest spot of the cave that he’d been able to find greeted his eyes. Ace wondered how Luffy was doing. Had he been able to survive or had he been killed back then when Ace hadn’t been able to protect him?</p><p>Oh, those thoughts led nowhere, he knew, but he couldn’t help but let them keep him company. They were all he had to hold onto and keep him sane. Well, them and the illusion of Sabo that he kept conjuring up and talking to now that he’d figured out how to. Swirling his hand, he did just that. A still image of his dead brother floated up and came to a halt in front of him.</p><p>“Hey, Sabo. Guess what I dreamed up this time? Zombies! Yeah, real zombies and a graveyard!” Snickering without a reason, he told the mirage, “You’d get a kick out of them, you would! And write them down into that notebook of yours immediately.” Fondly, he thought back to the constant companion in the form of his best friend from when they’d been younger. “Along with the adventure we had: the zombies took Luffy, yanno? They were Bluejam's underlings, this time. Oh, and they were made of noodles, too!”</p><p>Account of the things he could remember from the daydream done and finished, the freckled fire spirit fell silent. The only noise that broke the quiet was the steady <em>drip-drip</em> from down one of the only exit points of the cavern. Sabo's image didn’t waver. His eyes looked glassily at Ace, his grin a reminiscent little thing with one tooth missing and the black-white-blue noble's clothes with holes in them seemingly mocking the fire spirit where he sat, leaning against the wall of the cave.</p><p>All of a sudden a loud <em>clonk</em> could be heard. That was his signal – standing up, the illusion of Sabo dissipating into thin air, Ace hurried over to jump over a few rocks in the small pool of water in the middle of the cavern, to come to a rest on one of the bigger ones.</p><p>Carefully, he positioned himself directly underneath the hole that the drops of water were coming running down from up on the surface. Looking up, he could barely make out the bright sun shining down from some fifty, sixty meters above him. Oh, the jump up to that hole wasn’t that bad – it was only around three meters up, if he had to guess. With his fire, he could have easily propelled himself to the opening in the cavern roof. Now, if only there hadn’t been a steady stream of water running down it, Ace could have climbed up and been free long ago.</p><p>As had become a ritual, a few blocks of wood rained down on him that he promptly chucked towards the drier cavern area so they wouldn’t get too wet for him to use. Once the last block had been relocated, a loud <em>clonk</em> could be heard once more, a grate having been moved to block the chute entrance from the outside.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ace moved over towards the chunks of wood he’d been given. There were seven wooden blocks on the floor around the treasured straw hat. They’d do, for now, though Ace supposed he ought to ration them, just the same. Who knew when he’d get more?</p><p>His prison was a death trap, essentially. Oh, Ace didn’t need food or water any more, hadn’t since he’d become what he was (<em>and, oh, that he </em>still <em>wasn’t clear on. Ace really could do with having his brother by his side again, goddammit Sabo-</em>). But should the one outside ever forget to throw the blocks of wood down to him, he’d likely die in one of the most painful fashions he could imagine. He’d rather not, to be honest.</p><p>Yet, the points in time when wood was being thrown down to where he stood were spaced out rather irregularly, annoying Ace to no end. Shouting up towards where he knew a human being had to be looking down to where the wooden blocks ended up had so far yielded no result to speak of, other than have his voice grow hoarse with the effort.</p><p>Ranting and aggressively attacking the walls and the stones and everything in-between (he’d recklessly tried to attack the water once and been scalded in return) had long since been abandoned as a tactic for getting out. It hadn’t done anything but tire him out quickly, in the end. He’d slept for days afterward.</p><p>But with no one there to talk to or do anything with, and the cave system explored to the darkest and deepest corner, Ace had slowly gotten cabin fever and no way out. He’d raged and raved already at the beginning of his capture, but since then? A long time had passed, and Ace wasn’t sure if he hadn’t even been forgotten by the ones who’d thrown him into this prison in the first place. If they were still alive, even. (<em>Frustratingly enough, to this day he didn’t know if the one who kept throwing wood down was involved with them or not</em>)</p><p>Oh, don’t misunderstand him. He was pretty sick of the damp, dreary place he’d ended up in. But what could he do to get out, really? The only entrance was lined with water running down it – and he’d already tried getting out that way, hadn’t he?</p><p>His shoulders slumping in dejection, he made his way back to the seat he’d carved for himself, from which he had a good view of the whole cavern. Sometimes, he’d sit closely by the straw hat, but he rarely dared handle it, for he could easily burn it with the flames that were running over his entire being like a second skin. Ace didn’t want Luffy to scold him for a scorch hole in his precious hat just because he couldn’t be attentive for a moment or two.</p><p>Conjuring Sabo up again to stand a bit to the side of him, he kept his silence, this time. Often, he’d only want some company and an image of his dead brother sufficed, at least until he could find something or someone else to do so. It had to be enough for him, for now. One day, he’d get out. He’d have to – he still had to give Luffy back his hat, after all.</p><p>Until then, the steady <em>drip-drip</em> as the water landed on the cavern floor and filled the little pool and the rarely heard but heavily anticipated <em>clonk</em> and the subsequent landing sounds of the wooden blocks were the only answer he got for his monologues.</p>
<hr/><p>Another day, another daydream. Ace had dreamed about having a talk with Whitebeard this time. How weird was that? He’d never even met the man. Those daydreams lately had been growing in strangeness, hadn’t they? Huffing, Ace didn’t know if that was the first sign that he was going insane and decided to ignore it if it was. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about it. With his arms around his knees, he stared into the distance, getting lost in his head again.</p><p>When the only thing that kept entertaining you was your own imagination, it wasn’t easy to get out of its grasp. And Ace didn’t see the necessity to do so either, when the alternative was staring at well-known, grey-blue cavern walls for the millionth time.</p><p>However, he was startled out of his thoughts when suddenly a loud <em>crash</em> could be heard. Alert, he jumped up to stand on his feet, heart fluttering in anticipation of... something. That had been… that had come from one of the caves that led a bit further away. It doubled back around to another exit that entered the cavern he was standing in, so he wasn’t sure which way he should head to see what it was.</p><p>On the one hand, he was curious. That was a new thing to have happened and he wasn’t sure it was a good one. On the other hand, his eyes flitted towards the straw hat resting on that dry spot, with the wooden blocks piled up besides it, heartbeat picking up a little bit more. Undecided about what he ought to do to find out what had caused the crash, Ace moved to stand in front of the straw hat.</p><p>Voices. Those were voices he could hear! And those voices were coming closer, though Ace couldn’t yet make out what they were saying.</p><p>He wasn’t mad, was he?</p><p>That wasn’t happening in his imagination, right?</p><p>Hunching his shoulders, the elemental considered his options. As a fire being, he naturally drew the attention of everybody anywhere he went, so hiding was out of the question.</p><p>Pulse fluttering, he got into a fighting stance. His body shook all over in anticipation of an as-yet-unknown threat. It had been a long, long time since he’d last had contact with anyone real.</p><p>“-let me in front, I’m the least threatening, and also, I’ve got the gifts!” – <em>Gifts?</em> – “Shut up, idiot! I’m going in first and that’s final.” From the tone of voice alone Ace could infer an eyeroll that the person had to have shot at the other one. His eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hairline.</p><p>He’d- that- what was going on?</p><p>Having located the cave that the voices were stemming from, Ace positioned himself so his right side was facing the entrance. Should the voices decide to attack first, ask questions later, he’d not provide them with an easy target. Evening out his breath as best he could manage, he waited.</p><p>A gestalt leisurely walking closer could be made out in the darkness. The light that Ace was giving off only made the shade pause briefly in its advance, before it manifested into a human – into a human with a decidedly weird hairstyle that made Ace stare in bewilderment. Was that a banana peel he’d stuck on top of his head?</p><p>The person took a few more steps, venturing into the cavern with an easy gait, another one following in their wake. Eyes widening, Ace took in the second person’s appearance and moreover his hairstyle, which was even more outrageous than the first one’s. Had he glued a ball on top of his head and wrapped his hair around it? He certainly looked like it.</p><p>When they’d made five steps outside of the cave they’d come out of, Ace tensed, tightening his fists. In response, the first one stopped where he was, making the second one run into his back.</p><p>Both were staring at him, had been from the moment he’d come into view, most probably. The first one’s stance was relaxed and he had a hand in his pocket, his expression professionally bored with eyes at half-mast. The second one was gaping at him with an open mouth, gaze transfixed upon him. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t gotten used to the stares, once upon a time. Nonetheless, that had been a long, long time ago – and his time in the cavern hadn’t helped matters any.</p><p>Finding his voice, Ace demanded, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”</p><p>The man with the banana hairstyle had his eyes widen slightly, before they returned to their bored state. In lieu of him, the other one finally picked his mouth off the floor and went right ahead, saying “Hi! The name’s Thatch! What’s yours?” for which he reaped a foot to his leg. Jumping about funnily and whining about (<em>“Marco, you’re so meeeean!”</em>), the picture made Ace crack a tight smile, there and gone again.</p><p>“… so you’re the guardian of this cave?” the banana-haired (<em>Marco, his name was Marco</em>) man asked in a dubious tone. Ace’s brows furrowed in confusion. “… No?” was all he thought to reply.</p><p>An uncomfortable sort of confused silence descended that lasted for all of five seconds, until the wounded one stood up straight (<em>he wasn’t so hurt any more, apparently – had that just been to put him at ease somehow? He needed to be even more on his guard, if so</em>) and broke it with the question “Whatcha doing here, then?”</p><p>He promptly was hit with a quick leg manoeuvre executed by “Marco”, again. The theatrical jumping about commenced once more and went utterly ignored by the other two who went back to seizing one another up.</p><p>Not loosening his stance, Ace reiterated his first question, “Who are you? Why have you come here?”</p><p>Instead of answering, Marco’s eyes scrutinized the room, coming to land on the piles of wooden blocks, the pool of water and, lastly, the straw hat that had to be barely visible right behind Ace. Eyes moving up to rest on the fire spirit, the blond finally opened his mouth to say more. Frustratingly enough, he did not answer Ace’s questions.</p><p>“So you’re not the guardian of this cave. What are you, then?”</p><p>Eyes narrowing, all Ace could think of to reply was “I’m the only one here! I’d know if there was such a thing as a guardian of the cave. There isn’t.” The second one’s shoulders lowered almost indiscernibly in disappointment and he came to a dejected – albeit uninjured – halt about ten feet away from the other one.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ace’s voice had grown louder than it had been at the start. Damn, the first humans to enter his cavern and the first thing they were doing was to piss him off.</p><p>“What’s that then?” With a nudge of his head, the blond indicated the straw hat sitting behind Ace.</p><p>“None of your business.” The answer cut through the air.</p><p>With a sigh, the blond one closed both eyes and let himself slide down to sit on the floor right where he’d stood. He motioned for the other one to do the same beside him.</p><p>“Look. I know we haven’t gotten off to a good start. I’m sorry about that.” A pause, then “My name’s Marco, this is Thatch. We’ve entered this cave because of a rumour that we wanted to confirm. I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing here, but maybe we could help each other?”</p><p>Oh, he’d probably thought he was diffusing a potentially dangerous situation with those words. All that sudden willingness to cooperate and give him information had done however, was make his suspicions about their motives to come there and his hackles rise in response.</p><p>With narrowed eyes, Ace looked at the two – really looked at them and took in their appearance.</p><p>“You’re pirates.” he concluded in a deceptively even tone of voice.</p><p>A level gaze answered him before the banana-peel-haired one’s voice did, “... yes.”</p><p>... ah, that did it. No way was he showing pirates respect by using the names they provided him with again. Not after the last time, where they’d made fun of him for that and he’d-</p><p>Nope.</p><p>Not going there again.</p><p>Narrowing his eyes further to slits, he reassessed the situation. They were laughing at him, weren’t they? Didn’t that crinkling of their eyes signify that they were making fun of him? Banana-peel-guy and... oh for the love of-!</p><p>This decided it. He <em>had</em> to nickname these two or he wouldn’t ever get done <em>thinking</em> their temporary names. Mentally apologising for ever having doubted Luffy and his thus-far-questionable tactic for telling people apart from one another, with quite some satisfaction he invented nicknames for them on the spot. (<em>if they were less than complimentary, well, that wasn't his problem</em>)</p><p>“So... You’re here for a so-called 'Guardian of the Cave'?” he took extra care to pronounce the capital letters he could sense belonged to such a title. Not that they’d bothered with them.</p><p>“Yes.” The answer came a lot faster than the last one and its hopeful, rushed delivery only served to irritate him further. They still believed that there existed such a being and seemingly hadn’t been listening to him at all.</p><p>“Well, tough luck, then.” he scoffed. Their curious gazes kept wandering back to Luffy’s hat and it irritated Ace to no end. What was none of their business was none of their business, period. Annoyed, he narrowed his eyes.</p><p>His flames flickered in a sudden bout of air that went through the cave. His brows furrowed in confusion. The only exit was above, why...?</p><p>Then it dawned on him and his eyes widened in realisation. His heart started thumping wildly, his limbs felt light. He relegated the two pirates' presence to be a lower priority in his mind in exchange for the sudden rush cursing through him. A soft, tiny little bud of hope began blooming within him.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Was that...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>had they...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>was it possible that...?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>His breath kept stuttering in his ribcage, unbelieving, the impossibility...</p><p>That was not.</p><p>Not.</p><p>Possible.</p><p>Was it?</p><p>He... felt warm.</p><p>His heart felt warm.</p><p>Ace wasn’t wrong, was he?</p><p>That was most certainly a fresh breeze caressing his cheek.</p><p>The fire spirit gulped, all of his attention on finding where that gust of wind had come from.</p><p>His body immobile, his eyes were flitting left and right: which way was it, which possible exit had opened up?</p><p>Heart beating wildly, thumping against his ribcage in wondrous excitement, he remained standing where he was, but only just, his body shaking.</p><p>It was as if a tiny flame had been lit up in the centre of his body.</p><p>A tiny flame that was dancing, growing with every single second that passed.</p><p>Gulping again did nothing to dislodge the clump that was lodged in his throat at the chance.</p><p>And then he noticed it.</p><p>A small leaf was swaying in the wind.</p><p>It came swaying into the cavern not from up above, no.</p><p>Instead, it was coming inside through the cave entrance the two had taken.</p><p>The one directly behind the two humans, with the prospect of <em>more</em>, should he head into it.</p><p>Almost within reach.</p><p>Not quite, almost.</p><p>A few steps off.</p><p>Ace was deaf to whatever they were saying now, the words unintelligible to his ears, he saw the two of them as obstacles, possible hindrances to be avoided at any cost at the moment, not much more.</p><p>They were in the way.</p><p>Fire was versatile, though. Fire couldn't, wouldn't be tamed this easily. Fire could flit about as it liked and burn a way out, should it be necessary.</p><p>But no. His flames flickered irritably in resignation.</p><p>That was a last resort only, he'd promised Luffy, after all.</p><p>Ace breathed in deeply for one moment.</p><p>Then he opened his eyes again.</p><p>And he had a plan.</p><p>Sabo.</p><p>"... and I guess you're just a fancy flamethrower anyways." was the tail end of a sentence that he heard and for one singular point in time got deeply offended by, before he <em>made his move</em>. The shout of "HEY!" was satisfactory, in the light of that.</p><p>Yet, it fell on deaf ears, once more, as the cackling of his fire filled the room. Taking care not to injure the strawhat, not to hurt the only possession he could still treasure and keep safe from anything and everything out to get it, he dissolved and let himself fully fall back into the flames.</p><p>An image, a mirage of his brother, of Sabo, was conjured up with nary a thought to stand where he'd been standing before the two adventurers the blink of an eye before he made his way over to clutch the strawhat in one solid hand. Concentration on the hand, he got a feel for its structure, its unwieldy shape, so that he could ascertain that his limb would remain flesh and bones while he could concentrate on doing other things.</p><p>Floating it behind some conveniently placed logs, it disappeared with its prize into the shadows with almost no thought behind the action.</p><p>Ace had gotten good at manipulating light and the shadows in his reach.</p><p>Sabo's likeness didn't waver, just stood there smiling blankly at the two dumbfounded pirates.</p><p>The pang in his heart is familiar to him.</p><p>But there's a way out now.</p><p>No sense in thinking over possibilities, over past mistakes and chances, when there's one right in front of him to take!</p><p>Within the blink of an eye, he passed by the two intruders. Them turning around, seemingly sensing his movements, did nothing to hamper his excitement.</p><p>Another moment and-</p><p>Entering the cave-</p><p>Through the dark-</p><p>Passing by rocks and stone-</p><p>Avoiding runlets with water and damp granite-</p><p>There was a light, there, right ahead of him, the strawhat was lightening up in his hand-</p><p>and then he realised it was the light coming from that opening, that entrance that the two had left in their wake and-</p><p>there was light and fresh air and a light breeze brushed his bangs and          </p><p>
  <em>he was free.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>It was exhilarating, to be out for once.</p><p>Glazed over eyes did nothing to dampen the shock he felt.</p><p>His hand was still holding tightly onto the strawhat, clutching it for dear life.</p><p>It was all he had left.</p><p>Something was itching on his wrist, so he pulled the strawhat in closer absent-mindedly to scratch at it, glance still fixed upon the wide expanse of... <em>Green</em>.</p><p>There was a lush garden, field, meadow that greeted his eyes. Despite him not being entirely sure what the proper term for it was, he reveled in his newfound freedom.</p><p>
  <em>He was free.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was-</em>
</p><p>Up.</p><p>Above.</p><p>His prison.</p><p>And he was free-</p><p>to do as he pleased.</p><p>To be whoever he wanted to be.</p><p>When was the last time he'd seen grass?</p><p>Fire or not, when was the last time he'd rolled in leaves?</p><p>Or played in the mud? Or fought alligators off to free Luffy? Or seen the sun?</p><p>His heart burst with feeling. And his flames. <em>Roared</em>.</p><p>From the outside, it might've looked almost like a mini bomb had exploded in a remote meadow in the woods.</p><p>Whichever island he was on now - that was besides the point anyways - wouldn't look the same once he was done with it, he knew.</p><p>Did he care?</p><p>Huh.</p><p>A shoulder shrug later, he was off.</p><p>There. That place was perfect. Lots of flowers, different ones too!</p><p>Luffy would have had a field day. A glance to his hand revealed that the strawhat was still safe from his fire.</p><p>The earth, the blunt, flat earth felt wonderful to his abused body; the stones and jagged rocks in the cave had done him no favour at all and sleeping had been rough.</p><p>(<em>not that he needed much sleep at all - but he could already hear both his brothers protest the notion of staying awake, up by himself, all the time</em>)</p><p>A tumble down a slight incline later had him pull his facial muscles in an uncomfortably unfamiliar sensation.</p><p>He frowned in consternation. What was it now?</p><p>A beat later, he realised.</p><p>Oh.</p><p>A smile.</p><p>He'd been smiling.</p><p>That had been a smile he had felt.</p><p>Coming to a rest close to an old oak - bark wounded and crumbling at the edges, termites already hard at work trying to get it to relent and give up on life already -, he took a moment just to breathe in the fresh air.</p><p>And try another smile.</p><p>As foreign as it felt, he couldn't meet Luffy without it, could he?</p><p>His younger brother would think he'd been- or done- or experienced- something <em>unmentionable</em>.</p><p>(<em>Maybe met a giant?</em>)</p><p>(<em>Or fought in a war?</em>)</p><p>(his brother, phew)</p><p>Sometimes, the youngest of the three could come up with the most impossible ideas.</p><p>Huffing in remembrance, he noticed that oh, yeah, he actually could meet him. And soon, too. As soon as he cared to move again.</p><p>Ace scratched at his wrists - both of them -, feeling a slight draining sensation coming from those spots.</p><p>What on earth was going on <em>now</em>? Hadn't it been enough time that he'd spent inside the cave? Now that he was free, he'd have to live with scratched wrists, too? Weird.</p><p>The sensation didn't leave up, though Ace soon found other distractions to focus on that were nicer than that.</p><p>His gaze was attracted by a flower close by that was breathtakingly beautiful to look at.</p><p>Even the faraway voices of the two intruders calling to him were negligible.</p><p>Every breath, they were coming closer and closer to him.</p><p>They'd made their way out of the cave, had they?</p><p>And seen what they'd done.</p><p>Seen whom they'd freed.</p><p>Seen whose cage they'd opened.</p><p>But Ace had thrown away their keys, hadn't he?</p><p>By exploding like he'd done, he'd blown a huge hole into the side of the hill.</p><p>The collateral damage was extensive. Almost absent-mindedly, Ace hoped that no one had been caught in the explosion.</p><p>The flower was more peaceful to look at. Tilting to the left and to the right, it had an own rhythm to it that it danced to.</p><p>Unconsciously, his flames mimicked the movement.</p><p>It was mesmerizing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dear readers, please beware: this is only one of TWO chapters that'll come online today, on the 26th of August 2020! :D<br/>So. Just saying that there'll be another one to be had later today! =^_^=</p><p>Would love to hear from you in a comment or somesuch, if you've got the time to spare? :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Bloom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pirates. Zombies. Fire. Huh, kinda weird, his daydreams lately. The flower shop remains the same, though, fortunately.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For those of you who haven't noticed: Today, on the 26th of August 2020, I put online <b>TWO CHAPTERS</b> for this story!!!<br/>Yes, you understood that correctly, you won't only get one but <b><i>TWO</i></b> chapters to read! :D<br/>So please first head back to the last chapter, to check if you've already read it before reading further in this one~<br/>Just a suggestion! ;)</p><p>(and no additional warnings for this one, aside from some talk about a hospital visit)<br/>(yay, I guess?)</p><p>Enjoy~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting.”</em>
</p><p>~Viola Davis</p>
<hr/><p>The flower fluttered in the wind, to the left and then to the right before stilling. Then the door closed, the slight breeze leaving with the absence of the connection to the outside world. Ace huffed, amused. That particular flower liked the breeze, he could tell – nowhere else had it bloomed as prettily as at that spot right in the way of the breeze from outside should anyone enter the small shop he had.</p><p>Funny how some plants showed their preference for certain areas by simply blooming brighter, donning less damaged leaves or glowing a brighter green than in others.</p><p>Shaking off the daydream he’d had – <em>he, a fire elemental? Fire, his element? Yeah, right</em> –, the freckled man leaned down to tend to some of the evergreens that he’d stationed on a bench.</p><p>The door opened, once more, carrying with it another blow of air and making Ace turn around in a greeting, eyes closed and smile wide and friendly. “Hi!”</p><p>The “Hello.” he got in return was lukewarm at best and Ace backtracked mentally. Oh, had the “hi” been too familiar, then?</p><p>“Welcome to our shop.” He bowed, hopefully able to mask his mistake in the eyes of the suavely clad businessman that had come in.</p><p>The stranger fidgeted a bit in place. Ace got the hint, asking “Can I help you with anything?” and prompting the man to follow a well-known script rather than have him improvise an appropriate start for the interaction on the spot.</p><p>Nodding, the man’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, nigh unnoticeably, and he answered in a rough, scratchy voice “I’m looking for a bouquet to give someone who’s been admitted to hospital recently…”</p><p>“Ah, is there anything that you’d like to add in particular? Any favourites among flowers to know about?” The man shook his head. “A generic ‘Get better soon’-bouquet, then?” A nod.</p><p>“Alright.” And Ace got to work, flitting this way and that, through the carefully placed pots and picking out this flower stem and that piece of grass.</p><p>Arranging them so they’d look nice in the bouquet, he asked the customer “Any colour preference for the wrapping?” Another shake of the head. It seemed that this customer had lost his voice somewhere in-between the entrance and the shop counter. That didn’t matter, though, so long as Ace could understand what he wanted, it was fine.</p><p>The door opened once more, a ringing bell signalling his brother’s cheerful entry to the shop. Calling out to him absent-mindedly, Ace carried on in his task of arranging the flowers and wrapping them professionally, “Luffy, you can go on ahead to the back, I’ll be with you in a bit.” A big, exuberant smile that he felt more than saw greeted him in response, as the shorter boy ran past the counter and disappeared through the side door.</p><p>The customer had curiously kept track of the younger boy’s passing him with his eyes, before his look descended to land upon the almost-finished bouquet.</p><p>“Aaaand there. Done. Anything else you’d like?” A shake of the head was his only answer.</p><p>Ringing up the taciturn customer, Ace told him the price and collected the money that the man held out in one palm. Handing him the change, he waited before giving him the bouquet and last-minute directions on how to keep the flowers fresh for longer.</p><p>When the man disappeared out the door, Ace raised an eyebrow in bemusement. Shaking it off, he quickly headed to the back of the shop to see what his younger brother had gotten up to in the meantime. Once there, he saw that Luffy was rummaging through an upper shelf of the tiny kitchen area, obviously looking for something. Ace cleared his throat, catching the younger one’s attention. Getting down from the step stool that Luffy had somehow gotten a hold of, the younger of the two started signing with his hands.</p><p>“Where’s the map? Sabo told us he had a treasure map hidden here yesterday, remember?”</p><p>It took Ace a moment to recall the evening before where, indeed, their middle brother had said something along those lines. Ace’s eyes narrowed in thought. Hadn’t he said something about a chest into which he’d put it?</p><p>There was an old treasure chest that the three were using as a bench in the backroom to the shop. The black-haired shopkeeper made a beeline towards it, opening it and peering in alongside Luffy, their ever-curious youngest brother, who was using Ace’s back as a perch and huffing a laugh when Ace slid him off, long used to his habit of unexpectedly initiating bodily contact whenever he felt like it.</p><p>Naturally, the “treasure map” that Sabo had mentioned the day before was inside.</p><p>Ace rolled his eyes, handing it off to Luffy.</p><p>Hearing the door to the shop opening once more, he threw a familiar comment back over his shoulder with an easy grin while he ambled back to his post, “I’m gonna go back to my job – don’t do anything I won’t do and be careful, alright?” Knowing that Luffy was nodding in the background – he knew his brother, the younger one’s eyes had started shining with stars in them the moment that he’d set eyes upon the treasure map – Ace toned down the grin to resemble more of a friendly smile before welcoming his next customer.</p>
<hr/><p>It was Sabo’s turn to mind the storefront that day and Ace was going through the orders they’d gotten for flower deliveries to be made to nearby customers, some being long regulars of theirs. He’d been verifying the numbers when Sabo came to the back, telling him that a customer had explicitly asked for Ace to serve him.</p><p>Getting up, he made his way out of the backroom. “He’s all yours.” Sabo said and went to finish looking through the orders in the meantime, trusting Ace to be able to handle everything out front while he took a bit of a much-needed break, as well. Ah, and maybe he’d draw up another treasure map for Luffy… he’d seen an intricate mural on his way to the shopping mall the other day that he knew their youngest would love to discover.</p><p>Luffy had been playing around with that friends group of his at being a pirate crew’s captain lately and would get a kick out of another treasure map, most likely.</p><p>A genuine smile graced Sabo’s scarred face at the thought of their younger brother following a route he’d drawn up on a so-called “treasure map”, anticipating something exciting waiting for them at the end of it.</p><p>The six years difference that lay in-between them guaranteed that out of the three of them, Luffy was the one with the most leisure time to spend doing the-gods-knew-what.</p><p>So, rather than chancing it and having the trouble-attracting teenager go out on his own with no plan at all, Sabo had decided to give their youngest a bit of a lead on something. It had started innocently enough, Sabo had seen a funny statue, that he thought would make Luffy laugh, in the local park and drawn up a crude map leading there. When Luffy had pounced on the opportunity to go “treasure hunting” and shown such a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, it had somehow become a bit of a regular thing that they were doing every now and again.</p><p>Weirdly enough, the boy’s friends kept going along with the scheme, even the one that was quite a bit older than any of them (<em>Sabo wagered he was closer to his thirties or forties than the teenage age that most of the group sported whom he kept hanging out with, but hey, they didn’t care as long as he didn’t intend to harm any of them and he seemed to be more interested in his music, anyways</em>). In response, Sabo’s maps had grown quite a bit more elaborate, with little riddles thrown in for good measure, to make things more complicated and keep their youngest and his “crew” hopefully occupied for longer than half a day.</p><p>Doodling on a blank piece of paper, Sabo thought back to the way he’d taken to get to that mural and about possible detours he could send Luffy on that would make the whole thing more exciting. The smile didn’t leave his lips as he began drawing.</p>
<hr/><p>Ace, meanwhile, was once more dealing with the same businessman who still refused to say more than was necessary. Taking it in good humour, Ace let the man be and wrapped his next order, all the while humming softly to himself. He was no stranger to the quiet.</p><p>(<em>After all, in that dream of his, there’d been long periods of silence only being broken by the occasional drip-drip of water, too</em>)</p><p>The man had curtly asked for another bouquet to be created, a birthday being the occasion this time, before falling silent. The spare nod here and a shaking of the head there were his preferred method of communicating ever since.</p><p>That suited Ace just fine, actually. He wasn't much in the mood for talking, either.</p><p>Unbidden, a smile spread over his face. Humming a little bit under his breath, he went over to the shelf alongside wall where the door was located, as well. It was fascinating, how the pieces would fit together so neatly in the end, how he could with such ease create a finished product that people would fawn over. The collecting of the different leaves and flowers that'd make up the gift wasn't only "oh, this flower looks neat" or "oh that flower smells nice", the magic lay in the way he chose to put together the composition, too.</p><p>(<em>Just like the fire had been in his dream - the lights had been coming together neatly, had played along, had bent to his will, to form an image he could recognize</em>)</p><p>The young man was so lost in the gathering of the different parts of the bouquet that he didn't even hear the bell above the door ring.</p><p>Startled and with a steady grip - not too tight, not too loose - on the flowers and leaves, he swiveled around, opening his mouth for a cheerful greeting, when the words got stuck in his mouth at the apparition in front of him. Ace froze in shock.</p><p>Wasn't that-?</p><p>The bulky customer he'd been tending to the whole time took note of the man that had entered the shop as well, he noticed from out of the corner of his eyes. But that was all he could make a mental note of, for his entire attention was fixed solidly on the person, the newcomer.</p><p>He'd never seen the man, never yet met him.</p><p>Yet, he knew that man.</p><p>Knew the hair.</p><p>Knew the face, the scar.</p><p>Knew the ridiculous chef's get-up as if he'd memorized-</p><p>As if he'd memorized it at any point in time before now. His eyes were blown wide and his heart was hammering a rhythm he could barely keep up with.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Why was that man here now?</p><p>Why was Ace this thrown by that man, by that man's presence, here?</p><p>The black-haired man could only gulp, once. It made no sense.</p><p>The corners of the stranger's mouth went up at the sides.</p><p>And Thatch smiled joyfully, exclaiming exuberantly,</p><p>"Ace!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The Flower Shop AU that no one asked for... XD I couldn't leave this one out!<br/>(also, I'm not quite satisfied with how the middle part of this turned out, so I might add stuff, at a later date... who knows?)</p><p>Hope you liked it? :D Would love it if you could leave me a comment?</p><p>In any case: Thank you very much for reading!!! =^_^=</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They’d find them. They weren’t called the Revolutionary Army for naught, if there was anything they were good at, then it was the gathering of important information.</p><p>Finding out the whereabouts of his brothers would be child’s play.</p><p>(<strike><i>If only he could bring himself to believe that.</i></strike>)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Woah, so first off, the response to this fic has <i>blown me away</i>, thank you So Much for your support, dear readers!!!<br/>Second off, the whole fic is by now more than 80 pages in my word and close to 30k words and it's not getting any shorter, let me tell you... XD</p><p>This time, I bring you a bit of a POV change, dear readers. I hope you'll forgive me, but the overarching story does have to move along somehow~</p><p>As such, I do implore you get something to drink, maybe some cookies to munch on and... enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.”</em>
</p><p>~Norman Vincent Peale</p>
<hr/><p>Okay, so he may have overreacted. A bit. His hands bit into the wood of the railing, the waves swinging the boat this way and that, up and down in intermittent intervals. His eyes scanned the horizon at the same time as they stared inwards, looking forlornly at his past mistakes and rueing the day he’d ever set out to the sea.</p><p>That… hadn’t been what they’d worked so hard for. The one thing that they’d been proud of was the knowledge that one day, someday, they would set out and have a flag underneath which they would traverse the world. No matter if they didn’t set out at the same time or even underneath the same flag, they would be proud to set out in the first place.</p><p>Regret was making itself known, not for the first and definitely not for the last time. It swamped his body, spreading from his heart towards his limbs, heavy and saturated with want and desire to be close, to be near enough to help, to aid, to do <em>anything</em>. He almost choked on the raw emotion that threatened to bring him to his knees.</p><p>Hating himself for his helplessness, for his inability to be <em>there</em> where he’d been sorely needed, for his being at the wrong time at the wrong place and not even <em>remembering</em>-</p><p>Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes, consciously relaxing his fingers so they wouldn’t accidentally destroy the railing.</p><p>In light of his inner turmoil, stealing the Revolutionary Army’s fastest ship, enough people to sail it and resources to manage without any pitstops for the foreseeable future maybe didn’t constitute an overreaction after all.</p><p>Now, if only they knew where to go…</p><p>That was the crux of the matter, wasn’t it? The pirates had long since deserted Marineford, where the battle had taken place (<em>“Execution, my ass! That was a massacre in every eye but the marines’!”</em>) and they had no idea where the remainder of the Whitebeards had gone, never mind where they could have brought <em>Luffy</em> <em>and Ace’s <strong>bodies</strong></em>-</p><p>Shuddering briefly at the direction his thoughts had taken (“They’re not dead until I <em>see them</em>-!”), he held himself together by the string of plans he’d developed in the interim. No, they didn’t know where the Whitebeards had brought Newgate’s body to bury him, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t find out where they’d brought his brothers to be healed. For, they could not be dead yet. Sabo refused to believe anything to the contrary. Not now that he finally <em>remembered them</em>.</p><p>Yeah, it had definitely been prudent of him to take a moment to go outside onto the deck for some fresh air, while his comrades-in-arms were discussing and dismissing plans in the navigation room behind him. A sea breeze passed him by, swaying his locks comfortingly into his face. His own breath calmed him, the seagulls overhead crying out in a melody that blended in perfectly with the sea waves’.</p><p>They’d find them. They weren’t called the Revolutionary Army for naught, if there was anything they were good at, then it was the gathering of important information.</p><p>Finding out the whereabouts of his brothers would be child’s play.</p><p>(<em><strike>If only he could bring himself to believe that.</strike></em>)</p><p>The door at his back opened and the sound of footsteps could be heard. A huff, then “So, when will you be coming inside again? It was your idea to go into this blind.”</p><p>He winced, opening his eyes and half-turning around to the speaker, leaving his right hand on the railing and the other hanging loosely at his side, a smile automatically on his lips. The twenty-year-old might have fooled a stranger, but not his partner-in-crime. Koala simply stopped in front of him, arms crossed, and stared at him expectantly. The silence stretched for a few blinks of the eye, then Sabo let his smile fall and a neutral expression settle over his features.</p><p>Mentally preparing himself for being on the receiving end of bad news, he asked, “So, what’s the status?”</p><p>“You’re lacking sleep.”</p><p>Sabo blinked, taken aback by her brusque voice and the clear challenge in her eyes. Her eyes narrowed further.</p><p>“You’re worried and it’s not helping the investigation any. You want the status? This is the status: sleep, you’ll feel better.”</p><p>Loosening her stance, she turns back around to head into the navigation room, once more.</p><p>“We’ll reach ... Island in two hours. It’s no use to sail on with no goal. Go get some sleep in the meantime. I’ll wake you once we’re there.”</p><p>That was his voice of reason speaking, wasn’t it. No use working himself into the ground, was it, if he couldn’t do anything in the first place?</p><p>His shoulders slumping, he turned around with a full-body sigh and made to head off towards his cabin, when-</p><p>The door to the navigation room opened with a swiftness that made Sabo think of something having happened and-</p><p>“We have a lead!” the shout from their head of communications made Sabo’s eyes widen significantly and his whole body be energized once more, what with the adrenaline now cursing through him.</p><p>They-</p><p>They had a lead!</p><p>Sabo could cry, they had a lead!</p><p>A lead towards his brothers, a lead to their location-</p><p>Gulping once to swallow down any misgivings or predictions his betrayer of a mind would come up with about the state they would find the two brothers of his in when they met, he raised his head with steel in his eyes and said,</p><p>“Well then. What are we waiting for? No time to lose, full speed ahead!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thoughts, complaints, squeeing you want to get rid of? XD<br/>If you do, don't hesitate to let me know about it in the comments, folks~! I adore those!!! :D</p><p>Next chapter shall go online on the 12th!</p><p>Hope you liked this chapter! Thank you very much for reading!</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. "Normalcy"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Meanwhile, Ace was reminded of the shop, the flowers, the fire, the <i>cave</i>-</p><p>And. He was not sure, but. There was something approaching, wasn’t there? An urge to scratch at his wrists was overwhelmingly present in the boy, and it made no sense, along with everything else – all those images, of lives unlived, yet visible to him-</p><p>Nothing about it all made sense, least of all the handcuffs he thinks he can feel-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This... fic of mine is not getting any less confusing, I realise. XD I'm sorry? But, well. It wanted to be written out like that, so... have fun getting on this ride along with me, dear readers! ^_^ Hope you'll manage to enjoy it, regardless of the bouts of confusion that I <i>know</i> will crop up along the way!</p><p>Also, I updated the tags to reflect what I know will happen in later chapters (as well as things in earlier ones that I overlooked so far) - so please bear them in mind, folks.</p><p>As it is, I suggest you get comfortable in whatever seat you're choosing for reading this, maybe a nice little spot on a windowsill or you've got a big old sofa chair you settle in for just this kind of activity, and have yourself a nice little cuppa tea and mayhaps some cookies to munch on while you read~</p><p>Enjoy this latest installment of my fanfic!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Thank God for the potholes on memory lane.”</em>
</p><p>~Randy Newman</p>
<hr/><p>“Ace!” he heard and absolutely ignored for the time being.</p><p>They were roughhousing, and Ace's head had been caught in a headlock faster than he could wring out an exasperated, wheezing “<em>Thatch!</em>”</p><p>Unable to keep the smile off his face, the fireweilder playfully resisted the stronghold. The cook was grinning, he could hear it in his insufferably smug tone of voice when he got informed that “That’s my name, correct, little brother!”</p><p>(<em>“Yo! I’m the Fourth Division Commander. The name’s Thatch.”</em>)</p><p>Rolling his eyes, the black-haired teenager barely refrained from snarking back something rude, instead opting to let his raised middle finger speak for him. Upon seeing that, Thatch immediately let out a loud wail mixed with barely-repressed laughter, crying for “Marcoooooo!! Ace has insulted me!” Then he shortly paused, before adding, “<em>Again!</em>” to the consternation of the ship’s First Mate. Clearly delighted by the very notion of going on his bigger brother’s nerves, he went on to exclaim, “And I thought we were such good friends, too!”</p><p>(<em>“Since you’re joining our crew, I think we should be friends.”</em>)</p><p>The blond, meanwhile, was clutching the bridge of his nose between two fingers, utterly <em>Done</em> with them from what they could make out from where they were standing.</p><p>Managing to successfully wound himself out of the embrace, Ace blushed lightly at the open affection he kept receiving at the hands of one utterly excited chef and told him in no uncertain terms to “Shut up already!”</p><p>“Awww and here I thought you liked me!” dramatically, Thatch clutched at the shirt covering his chest. Fair to say, no one bought his act. Marco, having stopped massaging the bridge of his nose, raised an eyebrow at the show.</p><p>(<em>“Hah, someone woke up in a bad mood.”</em>)</p><p>Silence reigned supreme for all but a moment, in which Thatch glanced around at the rest of the crew that had gathered around them at hearing his previous shouting. Snorting, he shook his head. Dispelling the crowd was easy, when all he had to do was wave his arms and shake off the onlookers with a few well-placed words of “Nothing to see here, guys, nothing to see! Shoo, go back your work again!”</p><p>Turning around to the black-haired newest addition to their family, he grinned, saying “Ah, by the way, I prepared a new recipe for you to try – you can come by the kitchens later, if you’d like?</p><p>(<em>“Oh yeah. Do you want to know what happened after you passed out?”</em>)</p><p>An almost-nonverbal hrrmpfing sound along with the younger male crossing his hands in front of his chest was his answer, making him grin yet more, considering he knew he’d have a visitor later, despite the younger man’s actions to the contrary.</p><p>“Vista promised to teach you some tricks against swordsmen, too, so you’d better head to him, first.” Thatch pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at where he knew his moustached brother rested with his back against the railing, plainly enjoying the show.</p><p>(<em>“Your companions came to get you back… so we beat the heck out of them.”</em>)</p><p>“Don’t forget to come by the kitchens later, ya hear me?” with this parting shot, the chef turned around and was about to make his way towards the kitchens, when a furry head bumped into his knee from the front. Glancing down, he recognised Ace’s cat – Kotatsu, was it? – and smiled, leaning forwards to give the cat some scratches behind his ears.</p><p>(<em>A flinch. “What? It’s not like</em> <em>they’re dead. We’re keeping them on this ship.”</em>)</p><p>“Er. Thatch?” he was brought out of the scratching session by the youth’s voice behind him. Looking back, he got out of his crouched position to turn his whole attention on the teen once more, raising an eyebrow and telling him to go on via his body language alone.</p><p>“I was wondering if you…” his voice trailed off, his right arm clutching his left at the shoulder shortly, although, what for, Thatch could only guess at. Tilting his head, he was curious, now.</p><p>When nothing more was forthcoming from the young man, he prompted him by asking, “What is it?”</p><p>“I, er.” He paused briefly, reconsidering his approach, before going on, saying “Nevermind.” and closing the matter on his terms.</p><p>(<em>“Are you sure you should leave me like this? Without any locks or shackles or anything?”</em>)</p><p>Meanwhile, Ace was reminded of the shop, the flowers, the fire, the <em>cave</em>-</p><p>And. He was not sure, but. There was something approaching, wasn’t there? An urge to scratch at his wrists was overwhelmingly present in the boy, and it made no sense, along with everything else – all those images, of lives unlived, yet visible to him-</p><p>Nothing about it all made sense, least of all the handcuffs he thinks he can feel-</p><p>(<em>“Shackles? We don’t need those!”</em>)</p><p><em>Feel</em> but not see, not see at all, around his wrists.</p><p>Caging his fire, his life, his Devil Fruit powers-</p><p>But that’s not the case at all right now, is it?</p><p>No. Shaking his head, the black-haired youth shook off the thoughts as well and, turning back towards the patiently waiting chef, he smiled – to reassure himself as much as the older man – and said, “Ah, nothing. I’m good, thanks, and I’ll stop by the kitchens later, yeah?”</p><p>Turning his head slightly downwards, he beckoned Kotatsu over to him with his hand, motioning for the cat to follow him as he swivelled on the spot and headed towards the door leading into the ship.</p><p>Ace was not- was not sure at all what was the truth behind the images he could see whenever he closed his eyes. However, he was safe here, among his brothers, on the Moby Dick. He knew that much.</p><p>Safe and, well. Happy, too.</p><p>Now, if only those conflicting feelings and memories wouldn’t stay in his mind.</p><p>Looking down at Kotatsu, he opened the door for the cat, familiar being that had carved itself a spot at his side during all the time they’d been together so far, and followed him into the dark.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you feel like it, I <i>adore</i> a comment or two? :D</p><p>Hope you liked this chapter! Cheers!</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Show</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>... don't tell.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First off: I updated <b>TWICE TODAY</b>!!! So, yes, please head back a chapter, in case you haven't noticed the shiny new chapter 8 before this one! :D</p><p>The start of the execution is upon us, dear readers. Also: another short chapter ahead (there's latter ones which are longer by far to make up for the woeful shortness of these, though). ;)</p><p>And with those warnings in mind, I suggest you settle into your favourite seating space, grab a cuppa cocoa and enjoy~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”</em>
</p><p>~Robin Sharma</p>
<hr/><p>The door he practically fell through in his haste led out to yet another cobblestone street, but, turning left, this time he saw the tail end of the crowd that had gathered to see the spectacle.</p><p>A show. That was all it was. A show for the masses of people who’d gathered here.</p><p>Ace couldn’t see a lot from where he stood – a silver haired head here, a dark cowl there – but wooden stands had been put up and Ace was determined to get on one of them to better make out what was happening.</p><p>First, though, he had to make his way through the masses of people. Shouldering through the throng only went so far, until he’d had to use an a bit more forceful approach, elbowing people and apologising to them in short order.</p><p>Once he’d made it past a blue-haired kid with a rather unusual hat, he could make out where the best entrance to the stands was and made a beeline for it. His attention was resting fully on the spectacle that would soon be happening on top of the platform – he didn’t have time nor the headspace for much else, at the moment.</p><p>Whispers and murmurs accompanied his every step, smearing his path with everyman's perception of the person soon to be executed.</p><p>Everybody’s eyes rested on the door, the single door through which the prisoner would be accompanied by soldiers and marines and his executioners-</p><p>When Ace finally reached the top of the stands, he turned around and watched the proceedings with narrowed eyes. His hood was drawn, the coat all around him and hiding him from prying eyes as best as it could.</p><p>He was not here for the excitement, he was not here for the revolutionary words that would soon be spoken – <em>Ha! Him, a Revolutionary, not here for the Revolution that was about to start-!</em> – but for the man himself, the main person of the show, the main protagonist of the story that he was a spectator for, both as the result and the heir thereof.</p><p>Inheritance could be experienced on more than one level, after all, and a name is no more than that. And yet, and yet-! Ace shared more than that with the soon-to-be-executioned, shared more than the D in his name and the blood in his veins with the condemned and- he was reluctantly expectant, in the face of what was soon going to be revealed to everyone in the square.</p><p>Holding his breath, he carefully glanced over the audience’s heads, saw people he recognised, people he didn’t and others he wouldn’t have liked to recognise in the first place. That was Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, over there, there was Captain Tsuru and that was- Garp.</p><p>He forcefully diverted his eyes, at that point.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden and with no great fanfare, against all expectations to the contrary, the door opened.</p><p>Startled, a raven that had been sat on the steps up the scaffold took flight with a loud “<em>Caw!</em>” and drew Ace's gaze. It beat its wings once, twice and flew up into the sky. The light of the sun blinded the black-haired Ex-Second Commander for but a moment, after which the shape of the raven's shadow drowned it out and burned itself into his mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one was a hard one to write, dear readers, and I still have mixed feelings about its quality... better chapters to follow, though, so there's that.</p><p>Also, with this chapter, we've officially gone PAST what length I've previously set as a kind-of "standard" for my Advent Calendar Stories (~15-16k) and we're nowhere near half done with this fic, so... just to reiterate, it's already got 35k words in the word doc (and close to 100 pages, too, oh dear, I better save this somewhere else as well just to make sure...), so you can be sure I've got <i>stuff</i> planned, still... *<i>rubs hands in anticipation of the reactions to that</i>*</p><p>Again, this story SHALL BE FINISHED by January 2021. Just so you know, I'm doubling the effort I put into writing this one currently.</p><p>If you'd like, you can tell me your thoughts on the story so far in a comment or two? :) I <i>adore</i> those!!!</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Give me wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Calming down from his impromptu laughing fit, the old man looks back challengingly, says “Sabo’s alive, brat.” And the whole world is pulled right out from underneath his feet like a carpet that he’s been precariously balancing on until then.</p>
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    <p>
  <em>“Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.”</em>
</p><p>~William Shakespeare</p><hr/><p>The shadow was his own, reflecting his flight path down on the waves, and flapped its wings at the same time as he did. Cursing up a storm within the confines of his mind, Ace flapped them harder, trying to stay upwind as much as he could.</p><p>The winds battered against him, but the only way he could escape them was to go down and that wasn’t an option, not really, when underneath him was the sea and the waves and the foam, with no land in sight so far.</p><p>He couldn’t give up, now.</p><p>With renewed vigour, he fought to keep upwind and ahead of the stream of air that tried to drag him down. A brief moment where he wrangled with the air, his wings out and folding this way and that, his body streamlined still, his claws drawn in, before it let up and he came into a calmer zone filled with a warmer climate. It seemed as if he’d entered the hemisphere of a summer island. Maybe he’d even get to find a place to land, this time.</p><p>As soon as he’d thought that, he felt exactly how exhausted he was and limbs grew heavy, as though they had a sudden weight attached to them. He needed to land. Needed to rest his wings and actually eat something bigger than the few small fish he’d managed to catch that one time he’d dared fly down and float above the water surface. Ridiculously dangerous it had been, yes, but he’d been starving and the fish he’d devoured had helped boost his energy to bring him this far.</p><p>There was a cloud below him, floating directly above the water, he noticed then. Truly, he only noticed that one because he was flying this low.</p><p>Curious, he tilted his head to the left a little mid-flight. That… was worth checking out, maybe? Was it?</p><p>Not that much time to decide, was there, when he was this high up and riding on his own energy-</p><p>And then-</p><p>The decision was taken out of his hands when something came hurtling through the air from the direction of the cloud right at him, though.</p><p>Eyes wide open all of a sudden, he only just managed to swerve out of the way of that projectile, only to be assaulted from yet another one that came from the same direction as the first.</p><p>What the hell?</p><p>His heart was beating a mile, his breath almost taken from his lungs with how agilely he had to think on his feet and how flexibly he had to react to the threat looming on the horizon.</p><p>That was not what he’d planned to spend the rest of his flight doing, at all.</p><p>What the hell was going on?</p><p>His suspicions that the cloud wasn’t in fact a cloud were being confirmed the longer the assault was going on.</p><p>There was no stopping the projectiles hurtling through the air at his person – were those hunters? Where those poor pirates down on their luck? Civilians? Or marine personnel-?</p><p>Ace wasn’t sure who it was that was assaulting him, but with the way he had to fly to the side to avoid the projectiles, he soon recognised that he was being corralled into a specific direction – namely, closer to the cloud’s position.</p><p>That was not good.</p><p>Didn’t look good, at all, no matter from which perspective one did look at it.</p><p>Great, so hunters, it was.</p><p>(No one else would have this kind of foresight or even be able to lure him that way with <em>projectiles</em> this big – they were hard to aim, he knew that from experience)</p><p>Down on his energy levels already as he was, the most prudent thing would be to figure out how to gain more height and fly away for now – via gliding, if that was at all possible to achieve – and then land on a nearby island. Summer island that it most probably was, it would give him cover, hopefully.</p><p>His dark colouring would stick out like a sore thumb in a wintery landscape.</p><p>It was not at all what he had planned on when he’d set out from that island earlier that day, but what in <em>his</em> life was planned, at all?</p><p>And then- the cloud dissolved and he could allow himself to be even more alarmed at seeing the marine vessel underneath. The waters churning in its wake, he could make out exactly who was assaulting him with this much vigour and-</p><p>And-</p><p>It was.</p><p>No wonder, really.</p><p>With a sigh that was more heartfelt and aggravated than anything else, he slowed his flight down and carefully descended – obviously the very action that the person on the other end of the projectiles had wanted for him to do in the first place.</p><p>There was no avoiding that particular demon of his, Ace knew.</p><p>Grimacing – although inwardly more than anything else, a bird’s beak was <em>not</em> made for expressions of discomfort at all –, he alit upon a nearby cabin top and huffed.</p><p>The man had obviously declared the assault over once he’d seen Ace comply with his wishes (unspoken though they were) and raised a hand to halt the attack.</p><p>Regarding his former guardian evenly, he measured his tone of voice carefully so as not to aggravate the temperamental man more than was necessary.</p><p>“Cannon balls? Really? Shitty Gramps, what the hell.”</p><p>“Bwahahahaaaaa! Brat, you don’t even know the half of it, yet!” he got back and it was not at all satisfying as an answer.</p><p>Calming down from his impromptu laughing fit, the old man looked back challengingly, said “Sabo’s alive, brat.” And the whole world was pulled right out from underneath his feet like a carpet that he’d been precariously balancing on until then.</p><p>His eyes widened comically at that. That was not-</p><p>No way.</p><p>The old man wouldn’t lie to him about that, though, would he?</p><p>No fucking way in hell.</p><p>Sabo was-</p><p>No.</p><p>Nononononono.</p><p>No effing way in the four Blues, there was no way.</p><p>His beak was open of its own accord.</p><p>“Close your mouth, brat, you’re gathering flies in there already.”</p><p>The old man’s eyes had softened at his reaction somewhat, although the mischievousness was not at all absent from his face.</p><p>Ace tried to gulp- well. The beak in the way, the body of a bird in the way, his brain short-circuiting on him did not help the action in any way.</p><p>His situation was exacerbated when the old man had the audacity and didn’t refrain from bursting out in laughter, once more.</p><p>Narrowing his eyes at the old man, he didn’t get the joke – or, well, at least not what was so funny about the situation as to make him burst out in laughter in the first place. And twice, at that.</p><p>Least he could do was provide him with food, after laughing at him like that.</p><p>There was a person standing close to his grandfather whom he hadn’t noticed earlier.</p><p>The man was smoking a cigarette, gnashing his teeth in irritation at his commanding officer being in stitches because of a bird of all things. Obviously, the man didn’t have an ounce of humour in his body or bones. Ace wasn’t about to humour him, though. He let that be an ensign’s job.</p><p>Ensigns were there to be commanded around and to bring bad news to people in charge, they could take care of that. (He’d learned that from his gramps and supposed it was the truth)</p><p>The smoke from the cigarette formed arbitrary shapes downwards.</p><p>Well. Sabo?</p><p>Sabo.</p><p>Sabo, alive.</p><p>Sabo, alive, and somewhere out there.</p><p>Closing one eye halfway and leaving the other open conveyed a raised eyebrow expression better than anything else, so he resorted to that.</p><p>Was his grandfather ever going to stop laughing, though, was the biggest question.</p><p>There was smoke curling underneath the smoking man’s torso – woah, wait, what?</p><p>Almost violently, Ace startled at what he was seeing in front of him then and opened both eyes in surprise.</p><p>The smoke cloud from the cigarette had been smaller, earlier, hadn’t it?</p><p>Ace’s eyes refocused on the man.</p><p>The white smoke curled above the floor, it was almost as if-</p><p>As if the smoke was there instead of-</p><p>Instead of the man’s feet-</p><p>And.</p><p>That was.</p><p>What. The. Hell.</p><p>That was almost like a mermaid’s tail-</p><p>Just when Ace thought that, there was smoke coming right at him in a clear attack.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ace, meet Garp.<br/>Oh, there's Smoker too, nice, nice.<br/>Let's have some tea, shall we?<br/>Garp: "Crackers, anyone?"</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Music Speaks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A stick is withdrawn and, unbidden, Ace moves back slightly, his tail agitated and moving of its own accord before he can properly think on what to do.</p><p>The human moves slowly in response to that.</p><p>Like he’s some wild animal, something to be tamed, some-</p><p>Some sort of barbarian, like they’ve encountered in the wilds out there in the sea forest where the Fishmen-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope this is up to my usual standards, dear readers =_= I haven't quite been feeling well lately...</p><p>In any case: enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Hvor ord svigter, taler musikken.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(“Where words fail, music speaks.”)</em>
</p><p>~Hans Christian Andersen</p>
<hr/><p>His tail was curling this way and that, propelling him forwards and backwards in turns – he was weaving through some of the jellyfish to get at the entrance of his secret cave, so that was taking some finagling to get through without accidentally getting stung by the massive arms. Tails? Well, whatever they qualified as, Ace did not want to get stung by them.</p><p>That hurt.</p><p>(<em>As Luffy could testify to – getting stung was practically a hobby of his, accidental though the brushes with them were, for the most part</em>)</p><p>How the puffer fish nearby were not getting stung all the time and seemingly quite enjoyed swimming there, he did not comprehend.</p><p>Once done with the finagling, he was satisfied when he saw that his treasure cave looked just like he'd left it last time he'd been there.</p><p>There were those thick stones and rocks over there, the algae growing over here on this side-</p><p>Taking one of the glowing crab-like things attached to the algae, he held it in his hand and lighted the way as he moved further into the cave.</p><p>Slowly, languidly, he looked left and right as he went, as had become a habit of his for whenever he visited his favourite place on earth. That was a rock outcropping he knew, he thought to himself, as he drew his hands alongside the stony surface, making sure not to let his fingers linger on the sharper edges. He didn’t want to accidentally cut himself, either.</p><p>There, that rock was a favourite of his to perch on at times – and think on the stuff his parents told him about the surface and to make sense of it all in his head. It was a quiet spot, one that Luffy hadn’t yet managed to weasel out of him. His little brother could be a proper menace whenever he wanted to be.</p><p>Over there, that algae was perfect for scratching an itch on his back and this amalgamation of algae over there? Awesomely comfortable to lie in and spend a day in utter laziness. A prince like him didn’t get to have that luxury often.</p><p>More often than not, he was needed at the palace, needed to observe diplomatic meetings and keep quiet and spend the day in the company of boring adults.</p><p>The grimace that slid over his face was only half-serious, though. When all was said and done, Ace knew that one day he was expected to take over the kingdom from his father and whenever that'd happen, he’d need to be prepared for it.</p><p>That he knew how to do and he was already using every single trick in the book to further his position at court, like he’d been shown.</p><p>But at times, sometimes, he needed to be alone and spend the time in solitude and tranquility, just like he was doing now.</p><p>All of a sudden, he was startled out of his daydreaming, out of his thoughts, when he could see what – to him – looked like an unusual kind of fish coming around the corner.</p><p>It had two long tails trailing behind him, for one, - there were two tails? And two arms – what, those were just like his! – was that a-</p><p>Was that a-</p><p>A human?</p><p>Ace frowned.</p><p>How could a human-</p><p>Wait, no, there was no way-</p><p>Ace’s eyes were wide as saucers, as he was arrested in his tracks at the sight in front of him.</p><p>The human was cradling a… lamp, of sorts, in his arms. And he’d halted, as well, stopped mid-cave. That was… unexpected, to say the least.</p><p>His breath was stuttering in his chest as he forced himself to breathe on as though-</p><p>As though nothing out of the ordinary was happening, here.</p><p>That was-</p><p>He gulped.</p><p>That was a guest.</p><p>A guest, in his cave.</p><p>In his personal cave, the cave where he was housing all sorts things that he’d found on his travels to the beyond, whenever he managed to get himself dragged along on diplomatic missions outside the kingdom.</p><p>How had he-?</p><p>Where had that human entered it?</p><p>Where did he come in? There was only one entrance, as far as Ace was-</p><p>As far as Ace was aware, that was. Stood to reason that there were more than that.</p><p>Somewhere, that cave had another entrance. Or exit. Whatever.</p><p>And that human had found it.</p><p>The staredown between them was continuing unhindered as he reasoned his way through the evidence presented to him.</p><p>Nobody dared make a move, dared make a move towards the other, there was nothing for it, they were two people of different species weighing the pros and cons of-</p><p>Of interacting with one another in their heads, apparently.</p><p>Ace couldn't see into the-</p><p>Helmet? Thing?-</p><p>To see what the other was thinking or saying or if he even <em>was</em> trying to communicate with him, at this point.</p><p>Then, one hand lifted from the lamp thing and Ace’s focus was on it, his eyes moving up with it as it was lifted up towards-</p><p>The chest? Of the human? And Ace was confused.</p><p>The being's hand moved towards their back with purpose.</p><p>What was that one doing, now? Was he-</p><p>Was there-</p><p>Would he-</p><p>Was that a <em>weapon</em>-</p><p>If that was a weapon what would Ace do-</p><p>A stick was withdrawn from the back and, unbidden, Ace moved back slightly at the mere sight of it, his tail agitated and moving of its own accord before he could properly think on what to do.</p><p>The stick was held in front of the human's lamp to be shown off to him, it seemed like.</p><p>The human moved slowly in response to his nervousness.</p><p>Like he was some wild animal, something to be tamed, some-</p><p>Some sort of barbarian, like they’d encountered in the wilds out there in the sea forest where the Fishmen-</p><p>The stick was pointed to the human's left then, at a rock outcropping and-</p><p>In the next second, the human was scratching at it with the stick he was holding, he was scratching signs into the rock.</p><p>The lamp was shining onto the signs and Ace was <em>fascinated</em>.</p><p>It was like- it was like the light cone was focused and directed to shine onto the rocky surface and the merman was intrigued as to how that worked and managed to work, with all the water around it.</p><p>Didn’t fire go out when one splashed some water on it?</p><p>Had the humans invented something to counteract that?</p><p>And the signs-</p><p>Ace could see that there were only a handful of signs that the human drew. They were inside of the light cone, the squiggly lines interesting enough as to rouse his curiosity.</p><p>Then, the human held the stick to the outcropping again, shone the cone of light onto a spot slightly to the left of the earlier signs and <em>drew</em>-</p><p>And Ace couldn’t see what they were drawing because their shoulder was in the way, but it was clear to him that they were scratching things into the rock-</p><p>And he couldn’t see them, couldn’t read what they were saying, couldn’t keep his curiosity in check-</p><p>And before he knew it, he swum closer to the human and came up above their shoulder to look right over it onto the signs the human was scratching into the rock and-</p><p>Ace couldn't read them, couldn’t read them at all.</p><p>This was dumb, he decided, dejected, and turned around on the spot.</p><p>All of a sudden, there was a big tremble in the water around him.</p><p>Tiny ripples surrounded him and his body was moved this way and that without his consent and what was-?</p><p>A hand on his left shoulder made him shrug it off immediately and back up in alarm, careful eyes watching the human.</p><p>It had- ah, it had not been meant as an attack at all, he realised belatedly.</p><p>The human's hand was trembling slightly, too, although it was in the water in front of him now, hovering there almost uncertainly.</p><p>Glancing up to the bowl-like shape on top of the suit, he contemplated his next actions, although didn’t get to do anything when a loud sound- a boom, almost- had a sudden wave of water press against him and hurl him through the cave in indistinct directions, away from the human and-</p><p>He only just managed not to hit his head, although he scraped against stones and jugging edges randomly for a bit until the whirlwind of a stream suddenly abated.</p><p>The- the human was nowhere to be seen anymore, once he managed to right himself again, though there was a random puffer fish swimming in from the left. That meant the entrance he preferred was nearby somewhere, didn’t it? Ace knew there was a pod of puffer fish close by that one.</p><p>The puffer fish was blown up and its shape was about as big as Ace’s torso. The form drew his eyes, it was not getting any smaller, was it, no it had blown up, all blown out of proportions and Ace inhaled sharply, once.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Announcement 21.12.2020: an addition shall be made to this chapter later on, which I will announce in the relevant chapter that overlaps with the finished-deadline once it's been added. Sorry not to have it up as soon as I posted this chapter, but things have come in the way of its creation and life has a habit of throwing things my way all at once and so... well. I'll add the announcement as well as the link to the extra in the relevant later chapter so you'll have both at hand once it comes up. ;)</p><p>Well, how did you like it? :) Would love to hear from you in a comment, if you're in the mood for that!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. "You okay there, kiddo?"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You okay, there kiddo?” and the voice didn’t register at first, didn’t get noticed at all, but he’d keeping his ears open and still could not hear, could not notice what was exactly being spoken because Ace’s eyes had zeroed in on where the wound ought to still be, where it had been earlier, where he’d clawed it into the man's skin and it wasn't there-</p><p>The fuck.</p><p>Had he gone, had he fallen into yet another trap set by a witch or a sorcerer or a fucking devil? Would be just his luck, really, and Ace was so DONE with the lot of them, what the flying fuck, he was outta there, preferably now and he was already readying his wings and-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright folks, there's a few warnings on this chapter and here is the first:<br/><b>DISLOCATION OF LIMBS AHEAD</b>!!! Please do not continue with this chapter if that is something you're triggered by and or which squicks you out - that's not at all my intention and I do not want to generate an uncomfortable experience for any of you with any of my writing at all!</p><p>Also: <b>Anxiety/Panic Attack Ahead!</b> Please be careful, folks! Skip this chapter if you need to - there's nothing in it that'll make you miss the overall plot and or anything important, other than another chapter with Ace, I can assure you. It's just experimental as most of this fic is for me, I'm just playing around here, for the most part.</p><p>Also gonna warn for Swearing, preemptively. These are pirates, not nuns, y'all, and this particular Ace let me inside his mind for quite the rant, I gotta say. Lots of the same swears, too (he's original like that).</p><p>Moreover, today is apparently a <b>DOUBLE UPDATE MONDAY!!!</b> Please check if you have read the last chapter yet, folks, I did post both the 11th and the 12th chapter today, on the 21.12.2020!</p><p>As for the rest of you: enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Tout le monde discute de mon art et pretend comprendre, comme s’il était necessaire de comprendre, quand il est simplement necessaire d’aimer.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(“People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it’s simply necessary to love.”)</em>
</p><p>~Claude Monet</p>
<hr/><p>It was all blown up, out of proportions, was his first thought. “Weird.” was his second.</p><p>Thereafter came the realization that it was not the world around him that was this blown up but himself and with a whoosh of sound he let out his breath, losing body mass together with it. Huh. He hadn’t known he’d be able to blow himself up like that, at all.</p><p>No wonder though, what with his ability. He managed to find out new limits every day.</p><p>Turning back into himself again, he had the random thought of “Oh, probably shouldn’t have done this mid-air, should I have?” before he felt gravity take over and his body descend towards the earth rather faster than anticipated.</p><p>Plummeting towards the ground was only fun for so many seconds until it lost its appeal, Ace found.</p><p>Raising his hands up to his sides he angled them down to at least cushion some of his fall and-</p><p>Simply turned them into wings.</p><p>The air caught in them immediately and he had to hold them steady so as not to fall, again.</p><p>That was at least somewhat expected, now.</p><p><em>Gliding</em> down was better than falling, he thought to himself briefly, before his head turned to the right because he felt something, saw something-</p><p>And was promptly shot out of the sky by a huge weight falling against him.</p><p>His only thoughts were “What the-“</p><p>And he didn’t get farther than that before his heartbeat picked up and his breath fluttered out of him and he was not just falling but being <em>shot</em> out of the sky like so much dead weight and oh, if he kept falling like that it'd be the sea that was going to cushion him and then he’d drown-</p><p>Eyes wide, heartbeat fast and breath not even present for all of a second, he tried to turn himself around, but the weight was still sticking against his side somewhat, there was an-</p><p>A sandy beach, almost directly below, he could see a sandy beach, on an island and oh.</p><p>If he could just angle himself right-</p><p>If he could just lose the weight that was weighing against his flank, then-</p><p>Something was stuck to his torso, he realised at that point and, oh, his body’s signals were all over the place-</p><p>There was the panic from the <em>fall</em> that he'd <em>still</em> not broken out of, there was his reasonable side vying for his attention and there was-</p><p>that weight against him that was as much of a dead weight as anything could be, in this situation, seriously, <em>not helping</em>, that imbecile of a- <em>human</em>?!??!</p><p>Right, later. There would be time for that later. As for right now: cushioning the fall took priority.</p><p>Making himself take in as much air as possible so as to blow himself up <em>again</em>, uncomfortable though that was, he felt himself grow, his body blowing out of proportions and-</p><p>Cushioning their fall successfully, as they land with a comical <em>boing</em> against the sandy beach, the human's hands getting loose from around his torso and their body falling a little ways away from him.</p><p>It was uncomfortable for all of the five seconds that it took him to turn himself back again, letting out the excess of air that he felt has built up from the take-in of breath.</p><p>He'd not enjoyed being an involuntary cushion for… was that a <em>bird</em> now? There stood a bird in place of the human body he'd been expecting to see. What on earth-</p><p>Oh. Devil Fruit. That had to be one powerful Zoan type Devil Fruit that the other had to have eaten, to turn him into a blue <em>glowing</em> bird with- was that gold? A tail of golden rings?</p><p>Ace was at a loss as to what to do now that they were on somewhat dry ground again and was staring blatantly at the other one.</p><p>The person – the Zoan – was groaning as he rose from the ground, clutching his head and murmuring something about “… to <em>kill</em> that Thatch.” Ace remained cautious in the face of such a threat, not knowing if it was said in jest or not and wondering what a "Thatch" was.</p><p>(he’d said something similar to his brother often enough to know that it could be said jokingly, with no bad intent behind it at all, but this time it was best to remain on guard, at least for now)</p><p>Ace felt his tail twitch irritably and quickly moved to make sure it stayed hidden under his coat.</p><p>The bird-guy seemed to notice him then and looked over almost indifferently, eyes at half-mast.</p><p>There was silence for all of one minute, wherein the guy looked him over and, apparently judging him no threat to his own continued existence, leaned back on his arms to make himself comfortable in a sitting position on the sandy ground.</p><p>Ace’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Someone who didn’t find him a threat always tended to have an ace up his sleeves (<em>ha!</em>) and it was best not to underestimate such a foe.</p><p>The black-haired teenager had had way too many run-ins with people who looked harmless and were anything but, to not be awfully suspicious of the man’s motives and real strength at this point in time.</p><p>Seriously, was he just going to stay lounging there all relaxed when they met in mid-air, several hundreds of meters above the ground?</p><p>Didn't that raise any kinds of alarms or questions within that man's mind that his wings were nowhere to be seen anymore?</p><p>It was bewildering to Ace, strangely leaving him out of sorts somewhat when nothing the like was forthcoming.</p><p>“… Hello.” The blond said in an even voice. “And who might you be?”</p><p>“… none of your business.” Ace muttered, dead-set on being difficult, for his own continued well-being and out of principle just for the sake of it, in the face of such a display of casualness while in his presence. No one was that dull or idiotic to stay this relaxed when faced with him for a longer amount of time.</p><p>His paranoia had paid off more than once already, he knew. No sense in risking more than he was capable of fending off.</p><p>Getting to his feet in one fluid movement, Ace dusted off his coat – borrowed from Sabo the last time the two had met and no, he was not giving it back, his brother could bloody well buy himself a new one, this one was his now – made sure with an inconspicuous glance behind his back that his tail was still tucked against his back and not visible at all from the outside <em>and felt his feet changing into hooves next</em>-</p><p>Oh fuck.</p><p>Today was not his day, was it?</p><p>There was nothing for it, at least he was wearing closed shoes that would hide the hooves for the moment.</p><p>Uncomfortable though their positioning inside them was, he'd have to deal - he could always shrug them off later, when he was alone and without a curious bystander.</p><p>Closing his eyes, he sighed, once, before he opened them again and turned towards the forest that was opening up to his right. He was not about to try the sea that was to his left when there could be something perfectly edible found in the middle of that jungle-like area that was right there.</p><p>And who knew, maybe there were  crocodiles or alligators there, too.</p><p>Ah, he really ought to visit Luffy and his crazy crew sometime in the near future, again.</p><p>Disregarding the only other person on the island with him – <em>who was getting up to follow him now</em>, what the fuck!</p><p>Swiveling in place, he narrowed his eyes even further, telling the man following his tracks to “Get lost! What the hell are you doing, following me?”</p><p>Pleasantly, the blond replied him with a smile and closed eyes, easily stepping over some roots on the ground to keep pace with him, “I’m just heading into the as-yet-unknown forest to try and hunt for some food.”</p><p>That one was trying to get a rise out of him, Ace could already feel a headache coming on. With a bit of a growl, he narrowed his eyes yet further into slits and barked out a “Get lost, then, find your own hunting grounds!”, turned back around and stalked off to hike up a nearby rock.</p><p>Taking a few confusing turns left and right, he dashed around the trees and undergrowth and then, when he saw nor sensed the other man nearby-</p><p>turned himself into a fox for the sake of getting away faster and remain undiscovered in the meantime.</p><p>Hopefully, he’d be able to get something to eat for himself make a fire and get off the island soon.</p><p>He did not want nor care for a stranger and didn't think them to remain harmless when he was there with them. Ace was not looking forward to sleeping in the trees or underneath some roots in a random cave, no, scratch that, on the island at all, when there was another person around.</p><p>
  <strike>The teenager had spent way too much time in that cage with the slave traders not to be wary about other people trying to get close to him</strike>
</p>
<hr/><p>Night came around faster than he thought and even though he’d kept a good eye on the other man so far – who’d hunted himself a boar and made a fire on the beach - he was not sure where to go to sleep so as not to find himself waking up in a cage the very next morning.</p><p>He opted for a bird’s nest high up in the trees, one that had been left behind a long time ago, apparently, judging from the state he’d encountered it in. it was an old nest, it seemed like, and he was rather happy that it was concealed by some stray leaves from the nearby trees. That gave him some semblance of security, at least.</p><p>The man was not likely to go hunting him, was he? Not after he'd given him that first impression of being a rude and impolite asshole, he shouldn’t.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day dawned early, with shouts from the beach and Ace was immediately alarmed and on guard.</p><p>(<em>Was there someone attacking the human?)</em></p><p>
  <em>(Not that he cared, at all.)</em>
</p><p><em>(But was there?</em>)</p><p>Making his way to the beach was easy, and he settled in the branches of a nearby tree when he saw that the man was being exuberantly greeted by some other people who’d apparently followed him in a small rowboat. No, wait. There were <em>two</em> rowboats there.</p><p>Huh.</p><p>Interesting.</p><p>
  <strike>Maybe Ace could steal one? Would be easier than flying, that was for sure</strike>
</p><p>They clapped the blond’s back, the others looking around in interest and oh-</p><p>One of them was looking straight at Ace, in his direction, making him freeze up.</p><p>That was- not possible. They couldn’t recognise him as a fellow human in a bird’s body, could they?</p><p>The moment was broken a few seconds later, when the man with the weirdly-painted face looked away from him and his heartbeat returned to normal speeds again. Phew.</p><p>Had that- had that been his imagination? What on earth…</p><p>A shudder went through his body at the notion that they could have someone in their group that recognised people even in their shape-shifted form. That… wouldn’t bode well for him, wouldn’t bode well for him at all.</p><p>Gritting his teeth, Ace resolved to keep an eye on that one and, with a beat of his wings, he flew off.</p><p>The evening brought with it even less of a clear-cut picture about what was happening on that island than the afternoon did. The pirates -they obviously were pirates, there were no two ways about it, what with their clothing choices and apparel and rather obvious tattoos, too – didn’t leave yet. Why didn’t they leave yet?</p><p>Didn’t they want to get off this island? What on earth was keeping them there, still?</p><p>Ace didn’t manage to steal a boat off of them, either, unfortunately. They were too well-guarded for that endeavour to bear fruit, there being at least one person stationed around them at all times.</p><p>And to top things off, the weird, blue-haired member of that pirate crew didn’t look his way even once, ever since he’d fled the scene earlier that day, although he could <em>feel</em> the man's eyes on him. It was making an itch appear on his skin, goosebumps travelling down his back in anticipation of <em>something</em> to come, but what… well. Ace was at a loss as to what that something might be.</p><p>He didn't show himself as a human again, in any case, preferring the anonymity granted by the jungle instead of the interrogation he could feel looming on the horizon, should he show up in human form in front of them.</p><p>In lieu of that, he chose to scurry about the island, follow them at a distance and warily observe them whenever he could from as far away as he dared.</p><p>They weren’t hunting <em>him</em>, specifically at least, although the swords they carried were decidedly not for show, he found out rather soon.</p><p>So. They were armed and not afraid to employ those arms.</p><p>That still begged the question what they were doing there?</p>
<hr/><p>It was a week until Ace came any closer to figuring out what they wanted.</p><p>He’d gotten closer, uncomfortably so, having gotten used to their presence on that island too quickly and not thinking, letting down his guard too far too soon-</p><p>and, naturally, he’d gotten caught.</p><p>Dangling from the blue-haired person’s hand that had caught his legs, he was scratching at the arm he can feel behind him and- not meeting any flesh, tried valiantly to reach for the torso he knew was attached to that arm and-</p><p>nope, he was scratching at thin air and it was oh-so-frustrating, hell it was way more than frustrating-</p><p>so he took a risk, there was no one else around and he let his arms transform into wings mid-air-</p><p>and was being let go with a surprised squeaking sound coming form the man and he was just glad, happy to be free, happy to have been let go of this easily, he beat his wings-</p><p>only to get rammed mid-air, <em>again</em>, what the hell was it with his luck lately, what the fuck, which fucker was this- he was not about to go down without a fight, what the hell, who was picking one with him this time around? There was an island underneath him this time, not water, not the sea, so he had no compunctions whatsoever about lashing the fuck out at that assaulter of his-</p><p>and Ace could feel and hear his claws break skin.</p><p>Satisfying as it was, he did not stop struggling in the hold of the person- <em>that was a hand he could feel, this was a person holding him, holding onto him</em> – and was the fuck not being let go of, what the fuck-</p><p><em>Flying fuck this was too much, he’d had </em>enough<em>, what the fuuuuck-!</em></p><p>so he transformed his head back and let out a litany of curses that would make any upstanding sailor blush and his grandfather twice over (he’d tried them out on the old man, after all, so he should know about that)-</p><p>and was finally let go of.</p><p>Only to, in his own shock and surprise, fly and fall against a rock.</p><p>Goddammit, what a day.</p><p>He did not sign up for this and now there was <em>FIRE</em>-</p><p>blue fire lit up on and around the man’s arm, right where that wound was and it was deep, he hadn't just broken that man's skin, Ace had <em>felt</em> his claw go a little further-</p><p>the fire was lighting up around that wound and he was certain there was not a fucking magic spell involved this time, but-</p><p>in the very next moment, the man’s arm looked like new, there was skin where there <em>shouldn’t be any</em> and there should’ve been a gaping wound but there wasn’t, what magic fuckery, what fucking sorcery was this, he did <em>NOT</em> want to get involved in that- Ace does not want whatever that man was having, there was no fucking way-</p><p>What the hell kinda shithole had he managed to land himself in this time around?</p><p>“You okay, there kiddo?” and the voice didn’t register at first, didn’t get noticed at all, but he’d keeping his ears open and still could not <em>hear</em>, could not notice what was exactly being spoken because Ace’s eyes had zeroed in on where the wound ought to still be, where it had been earlier, where he’d clawed it into the man's skin and it wasn't there-</p><p>The fuck.</p><p>Had he gone, had he fallen into yet another trap set by a witch or a sorcerer or a fucking devil? Would be just his luck, really, and Ace was so <em>DONE</em> with the lot of them, what the flying fuck, he was outta there, preferably now and he was already readying his wings and-</p><p>his right arm <em>hurt</em>  all of a sudden and he twitches in response to the pain that’s shooting up its length and it was-</p><p>Just his luck really, to have his own arm injured instead of the arm on the person <em>opposite of him</em> and he only just managed to turn his head to the right to see for himself if he was now sporting the wound that had been on the man first-</p><p>“You hurt?”</p><p>Swiveling his head towards the blue-haired man that was now approaching him with his arms in front of him, hands up and – oh that was a nonthreatening pose, he’d seen Shitty Gramps make that at him whenever he’d had a nightmare at day and transformed into a <em>bird</em> because of it – and the man was approaching slowly, cautiously, as though Ace could fly away any second-</p><p>
  <strike>As if he could</strike>
</p><p>The hell he would, if he could he’d be out of there already, but no, he was shifting back on his haunches, shoulders drawing inwards and his eyes went glassy, went unfocused cause he was reminded of-</p><p>No.</p><p>No, nope, nopedy-nope.</p><p>Luffy.</p><p>Luffy was good, Luffy was everything good in the world and he was making him focus back on the presence because his younger brother always used to ask him the questions had Makino had drilled into him to ask Ace whenever he used to have these nightmares at day-</p><p>“What do you see?” Ace went through the questionnaire himself now, all by himself, all alone and heard Luffy’s voice from far away, far away echoing in the distance, and where he was, there Luffy wasn't right now and he was gonna have to make peace with that, his younger brother had his own crew to tend to, his own journey to be on there was nothing to make up for that now-</p><p>“What can you hear?” came next and oh, it was superimposed by something else, another question that was-</p><p>“Ace, can you hear me?” his mouth twitched because that was just as far away a voice, a voice he hadn’t let himself think about for years, for almost a decade, it felt like, it had only been seven years, but <em>Sabo</em>-</p><p>There was no way Sabo was here, and his focus shifted a little at that, he forcefully made himself gulp to remind himself of the next question, saw it take shape in his mind, heard it with his ears, it was-</p><p>“What can you feel?” he felt the cold, felt shivering – oh, that was his own shivering, he was trembling, there was fear there, there was a ball, a hole that had been carved out of his chest at Sabo’s presence that wasn’t- that couldn’t be there, so Ace shoved it to the side mentally, he was not in the fire, he was on an island and he could see blue and green, and he could hear the jungle animals, there was a bird call, then there was a cat’s roar far away, but he could hear those-</p><p>And he could feel fear.</p><p>Of what was to come, of that man in front of him, and of what he was planning now that he got Ace here, in front of him, all vulnerable and wounded-</p><p>He could feel pain.</p><p>Stemming from his right hand arm, there was a wond there that he got when he'd crashed against that rock, most probably, but it was not an open gaping wound, it was more of a dull one and his arm - no, his elbow - was standing at an angle that was uncomfortable to even look at-</p><p>So he chose not to. He was not looking at that arm but rather at the blue-haired man that was making shushing noises and that was crouching in front of him, at a semi-respectable distance that was... okay, as far as he was concerned. It was by far not as far away as he wished for him to be (on the other side of the island, that was), but it was farther than he’d have stayed away from a curiosity himself, and it was by far farther away than Luffy would have stayed away from him, had Luffy been in the blue-haired man's huge shoes right then.</p><p>So it was okay.</p><p>For now.</p><p>For now, at least, it was okay and oh-</p><p>Where was the other one? Hadn't there been two persons there, earlier? With newfound alarm, Ace looked around, turned his head this way and that and there was not a trace to be seen of the one that had crashed into him originally and who had fire - blue <em>FIRE</em> - travel up his arm to lounge alongside the wound and the man was-</p><p>Gone.</p><p>He was gone, had disappeared to wherever. Probably to get the others, and Ace’s hackles <em>ROSE</em> in response to the perceived threat he was now under, and he was <em>still</em> ignoring the voice that was right in front of him saying things. Ace couldn’t see anything in the form he was in now, so he transformed his ears, gave them a bat-like shape that shut the man up right away and he was glad for the silence, this way he could hear more, thank the gods for small mercies, and he-</p><p>heard them talking faraway, he heard the man telling the others to wait. That Buggy – <em>Buggy?</em> Was that the blue-haired man in front of him? Was that the man’s name or his status in the crew? – had the situation under control and he’d join them shortly. There was going to be an end to their stay on the island soon – Ace’s shoulders fell at that – and they ought to prepare the boats to head back soon.</p><p>Hrmf.</p><p>Meant that they’d be leaving soon, eh?</p><p>Great.</p><p>There was still no chance he could pilfer a boat from them, was there?</p><p>Grimacing, he reconsidered his options. Wounded, he’d need to stay on the island for the foreseeable future, he would be <em>grounded</em>, wouldn't be able to go <em>anywhere</em> like that, he wouldn’t even be able to properly defend himself like that and, oh.</p><p>A shift from the person in front of him had him refocus his attention to where it mattered.</p><p>Head turning back around (<em>When had he turned it to the left? Probably to hear better</em>), he glared at the man with an impenetrable focus, breathing harsh and laboured and pain still shooting up his sleeves.</p><p>There was no way he’d let the man-</p><p>And then there was a hand holding his injured arm still at the shoulder and another one had gone around his wrist, his arm was braced against the rock and the man hadn’t <em>MOVED</em> how the <em>FUCK</em>-</p><p>
  <em>How the ever-loving FUCK-</em>
</p><p>There was a yanking motion and-</p><p>It HURT for one long, drawn-out moment and then-</p><p>His arm. Hurt less. His breath was still coming out in gasps, he was still on edge, but-</p><p>“Sorry, kiddo. But that arm had to be tended to <em>now</em> and rather than leave it like that, I decided to help." The man said from where he was still in a crouch around two meters away from the teenager.</p><p>And. That was not possible.</p><p>Eyes wide, Ace reconsidered his options.</p><p>With one Devil Fruit User in their midst, he could've taken them on. (Probably)</p><p>Yet, apparently, there were two in that group - two Devil Fruit Users against one shape-shifting human being?</p><p>Ace didn't like his odds much any more and didn't want to have things be done to him again whether he liked it or not.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden, something wrapped around the winged arm to his right hand side drew his attention back to it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Liked it? Hated it?</p><p>Wouldn't mind a comment, if you have the time to spare~!<br/>Cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Fly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There were wings.</p><p>He had wings again.</p><p>Nothing unusual so far, he thought.</p><p>Wait. No. It <i>was</i> unusual. Bloody hell, he had wings!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're slowly but surely heading towards the last chapter, folks.</p><p>Soon.</p><p>Enjoy this one, meanwhile~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Honor the space between no longer and not yet."</em>
</p><p>~Nancy Levin</p>
<hr/><p>There were wings.</p><p>He had wings again.</p><p>Nothing unusual so far, he thought.</p><p>Wait. No. It <em>was</em> unusual. Bloody hell, he had wings!</p><p>Wide-eyed, he was staring at the extra set of appendages that he was now sporting in vague disbelief.</p><p>How on earth did he have wings? He’d thought that had been a dream! But no, apparently it hadn’t been one and yes, he really did have wings to deal with.</p><p>Never mind the fact that he still had his hands and arms – the wings being at his back –, but how the hell- what had made them appear in the first place, he wondered?</p><p>Shuddering out a breath, he didn’t see the pillow coming for his head in time to react to it.</p><p>“Oi!” was the shout that accompanied the assault on his person. When he turned his head towards the other person in the room, he saw <em>Sabo</em> – and Sabo’s wings. His shoulders fell. This was normal. This actually was normal, what had he drunk or eaten, to make himself think that this was weird or out of the ordinary, at all?</p><p>The dream had had him out of sorts more than he thought it would and he almost missed when the blond berated him.</p><p>“I’ve tried to get your attention for the past ten minutes, what the hell are you on?” Ace was not so far gone as to not notice the undercurrent of worry he could hear in the words.</p><p>“Ah, sorry. I’m sorry. I’m fine.” He deflected, noticing but not caring that that didn’t alleviate his brother’s worry, in the slightest. For the time being, it should calm him down, though. That was all he wanted, as he brought a hand up to clutch his head. There was a bit of a headache announcing itself to him, now that he didn’t have all of his attention focused on the wings.</p><p>Bloody extra appendages. Did they carry his weight, even? Glancing back at them, he thought that no, there was no way. No way those flimsy excuses for wings would carry him anywhere. Right?</p><p>He was proven wrong when they headed out of the room – that was <em>his</em> room, his room and Sabo’s was right beside his, as he <em>already knew</em>, what the hell was wrong with him that day? – and he saw his brother take flight.</p><p>Okay, alright. He was supposed to follow after him, wasn’t he?</p><p>Moving his shoulders around a little to remove some tension that had accumulated, he did move forward a step, to the edge of the wooden walkway that was hanging in the air, anchored to the tree that his room was located one, then took another step over it – and flapped his wings – and flew.</p><p>Whew.</p><p>Wait, whew? What on earth-</p><p>Shaking his head to stem off the headache that was growing behind his eyes, he followed his brother – his brother, Sabo, they really truly were brothers, here, that’s his reality, this is <em>real</em> – with a reassuring smile on his lips to stave off the worry he could sense in the blond’s eyes already.</p><p>No sense worrying his brothers overly much when he couldn’t make heads nor tails of what was going on, himself.</p><p>He’d figure it out as he went along, anyways, wouldn’t he?</p><p>Yes, he would.</p><p>They landed at the edge of some marketplace. That reminded Ace that it was good manners not to land in the middle of a conversation or a place but at a spot to the edge of one and they did try their best to stick to social etiquette, even though they couldn’t make Luffy do the same, most of the time.</p><p>Their youngest brother had to be off flying around with his friends again, Ace thought to himself with a smirk. The young boy had a charm to him that drew people in and neither he nor Sabo had ever been able to escape that draw. It was a small wonder the younger boy’s friendship circle was as small as it was, really.</p><p>A wave from the side made him refocus his attention, once more. They were at the marketplace. With a questioning look towards Sabo, he conveyed his confusion at what they were doing here. “What?” he got in response to his questioning look, “We’re supposed to pick up some stuff for mum. Or have you forgotten about that already?” the blond threw back at him irritably, and oh. He had a mum.</p><p>True, he had forgotten about that little earth-shaking titbit of information. His knees were a bit wobbly at that, he felt. Shaking his head lightly, he followed his brother in silence, the first step a hard one to take, for some reason he couldn’t figure out for the moment. All those dreams had confused the heck out of him, really.</p><p>Truthfully, he couldn’t remember much about what was real and what wasn’t and it was-</p><p>Troubling, to say the least.</p><p>Good thing his parents had already fixed several appointments with the local healer for him. There was another session that day, wasn’t there? He was already looking forward to it and making mental notes to remember what to tell the medic about, this time around.</p><p>Ace let Sabo take the lead as to what they’d been asked to get by their mother.</p><p>The black-haired twin had already forgotten a lot about the day before. But he did remember the dream as though it had happened to him for real – and that was, that was disturbing, at least a little bit.</p><p>A shudder travelled down his spine at the thought that- what he had seen in that dream, what he’d seen and lived through and those people-</p><p>Might have been real. Might’ve been another reality, even? Or had he simply listened to his brother too much, for his fantastic ideas not to have taken a hold in his mind? It was a possibility.</p><p>Alternate realities, alternative worlds… whole new planets, mayhaps.</p><p>Ace wondered if there was such a thing. Or maybe he was just dreaming all those things. Then again, there were way too many details within them not to-</p><p>“Ace!” Sabo’s voice sounded close by and brought him out of his musings with a start.</p><p>“Wha-?” he asked, confused. “I asked which one you think is better: this one or that?” and he held up two fruits in his hand for Ace to choose, with a clearly reassured look in his eyes to have gotten Ace to pay attention, this once. A slight grimace travelled across his face, there and gone again, but his brother saw, obviously he did – they were twins for a reason, bloody hell if he hadn’t gotten a mind reader out of the deal – but then he turned his eyes towards the fruits offered to him and looked at them properly. After a small moment of contemplation, he chose the one on the right. It looked better, although not by a huge margin.</p><p>Sabo decided the next moment, after having bought said fruit, to make some smalltalk with him. They were ambling through the rest of the marketplace, slowly exiting it. He was catching Ace up on the goings-on and the latest news and Ace was- he was grateful, he really was. These days, he kept missing out on things on account of his mind being wholly elsewhere at times and he couldn’t control the timing nor the places where he fell asleep and <em>dreamed</em> about said other worlds and people and happenings-</p><p>It was almost like a curse.</p><p>Or a blessing, in case any of the stuff he kept dreaming about ever happened in <em>his real life</em>. Though Ace doubted it.</p><p>There was not much that could be more different than the goings-on in the dreams he kept having. Not that many people dared enter the Sky Island nowadays. In fact, there were rarely any newcomers here –it had become as much of a rarity as to make some people paranoid, and with good reason! Last time people from another island had come over, they’d taken people away and-</p><p>None of those had come back yet.</p><p>Flying back to their home was easier than going to the marketplace had been and it left Ace’s mind free to wander.</p><p><em>Voices</em>.</p><p>He could hear voices, next.</p><p>Eyes unfocused, flying up, after Sabo, Ace listened, tried to decipher what they were saying.</p><p>“… <em>not yet.</em>”</p><p>“<em>Can’t do-</em>“ and “<em>Where-</em>“ he could make out, before they alit on the platform they’d started out on earlier. Sabo was looking at him worriedly again, Ace could feel him glance over with barely-disguised concern.</p><p>Shrugging it off in the next moment, the blond stepped forward, entering the hut.</p><p>“Good morning!” he said, politely, as per habit, putting the groceries to the side, while Ace followed suit, copying his greeting.</p><p>The very next second, he stopped, arrested in his tracks by the sight that greeted him.</p><p>He knew that person, knew who that was like he’d always done, just as though-</p><p>As though he hadn’t ever left this place, and he knew that was strange-</p><p>the long, blond hair flowing to the floor, the flower in her hair-</p><p>His brows furrowed, he knew that person, of course.</p><p>Of course he did, he <em>knew</em> her.</p><p>There was-</p><p>No chance.</p><p><em>No chance</em> he didn’t.</p><p>That was, after all, that was-</p><p>The woman turned around in that very instant and his breath shook.</p><p>Closing her eyes in a smile, she greeted the two of them back with a melodious-sounding “Good morning!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A huuuuuge thank you to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27847518/chapters/68179326">Yvonna</a> for helping me out of a bit of a writing block situation there! :D Go have a look at their profile, folks! (although I did not end up using the idea they suggested, they still helped me with getting out of that funk!)</p><p>Leave a comment, if you're in the mood to and have some time to spare? I love those!!! =^_^=</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Hellos and Goodbyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The goodbyes had accumulated in number, the more days passed them by.</p><p>They were passing by slowly, languidly, as though they hadn’t got anything better to do than torture him with the time passing them by every single day.</p><p>Luffy was showing signs of waking every now and then, but Ace.</p><p>Ace.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello."</em>
</p><p>~Paulo Coelho</p><hr/><p>He was running, dashing, closer, <em>closer</em> to where he knew them to be, to his goal, to today’s most important place to be – to his brothers’ sides-</p><p>And was held up by hands and arms in his way, dirty white jumpsuits jumping into his way and he grew <em>feral</em>, he was growling, had his hands forming into the Dragon’s Claw on instinct already, ready to fight his way through the throng of people until he remembered that they’d helped him, they’d helped <em>his brothers</em>, they’d saved them, they’ve <strong><em>saved</em></strong> them, <em>oh</em>-</p><p>And he halted in his tracks, retracted his claw, straightening up and hesitantly taking a careful step back, out of the situation, stepping outside of it in order to evaluate what he’d been about to do and what he was doing here, now.</p><p>There were jumpsuited people in his way, in front of him a crowd of people, and he raised a gloved hand to his hat, to draw his hat down to hide his face, and bowed his head.</p><p>“Apologies.”</p><p>He got out, pushing it between his lips, loath though he was to do so.</p><p>“My apologies. May I come aboard?” that was the polite way, the careful way to do things, the way he had never yet had to use in such a dire situation so far, but which he knew how to employ just the same.</p><p>He knew how to be polite, <em>knew</em> his manners, thanks, Koala.</p><p>Or, rather, no thanks to his partner, really, for bringing out the worst in him anew, every single day.</p><p>He was gritting his teeth against the frustration of being held up yet again, of being held up, so close to the goal of seeing his brothers, of seeing his brothers breathing and living and <strong><em>alive</em></strong>-</p><p>And still.</p><p>“Permission granted.” A penguin-hatted person told him and that was all he needed, great- that was all he would let himself accept and he was back to pushing his way through the throng of people in front of him.</p><p>He was racing through hallways, then, endless corridors through which he was dashing, running this way and that, stretching his haki out as far as it’d go to feel, to sense, his brothers’ unmistakable life signs, barely there but there all the same, along with others, a few people having gathered around the bedsides of his brothers’ beds and cots and with medical equipment to boot, all of which he could see when he entered the room in a hurry-</p><p>He was held back by a tattooed hand, then, and he was back to being frustrated, halted in his endeavours, yet again.</p><p>That was not what he was here for, he was here for his brothers not for <em>confrontations</em>-</p><p>The man standing opposite him was evaluating him, clearly confident and we wearing a doctor’s coat, he had to be the main medical personnel, correct? The captain, too, Sabo thought to himself, remembering having seen that mugshot somewhere before.</p><p>Ah, that was Captain Trafalgar D. Water Law, wasn’t it?</p><p>Oh, he had said that aloud, hadn’t he, he noticed as the captain’s eyes widened in clear surprise.</p><p>Then his head hurt when he was struck from behind and being subjected to what he recognised as a lecture, familiar and old news, to Sabo.</p><p>Koala had made her way there, had she?</p><p>Ouch, that did <em>hurt</em>.</p><p>She didn’t have to hit him that hard, did she?</p><p>Glancing up at her fuming face, or, well, what he could see of it from where it was hidden underneath her cap, he retracked his path in his mind.</p><p>Sometimes, he could recognise that he had earned what he’d had coming to him.</p><hr/><p>The goodbyes had accumulated in number, the more days passed them by.</p><p>They were passing by slowly, languidly, as though they hadn’t got anything better to do than torture him with the time passing them by every single day.</p><p>Luffy was showing signs of waking every now and then, but Ace.</p><p>Ace.</p><p>Ace was nowhere near being better and Sabo’s heart <strong><em>ached</em></strong>.</p><p>He was not sure if he could survive one of his brothers not making it out of there alive, to be honest.</p><p>To be fair, he thought he was the one that was supposed to be dead, in their stead. Or, at least as injured, but no, he had no wounds to show off.</p><p>He hadn’t been there, at Marineford, had not been there, had not fought with them in the War-</p><p>In the bloody War that had broken out, had not fought for his brother’s life-</p><p>And it was a wonder he was feeling anything at all, these days, his chest being numb more often than not.</p><p>Honestly, he’d rather the thing in his throat disappeared entirely than clog up his arteries like that. He couldn’t swallow, couldn’t breathe right, most times, when he was found at the bedsides of his brothers’ sickbeds. There was no way he was leaving to do Revolutionary stuff, no way on the whole, and he didn’t even know yet if he was gonna sock Dragon in the bloody face for leaving his son alone, for leaving his own son to fight alone, <em>all alone</em>, by himself, when there could’ve been, when there should’ve been the whole of the Revolutionary Army behind the teenager.</p><p>And his brother was still a teenager, for all that his position as a pirate crew’s captain proclaims something else. He was a teenager, younger than Sabo and still had chubby cheeks. That’s nowhere near something an adult would have.</p><p>A teenager shouldn’t have fought in a bloody war where his older brother’s live was on the line.</p><p>On the bloody line that’s barely beating alongside the monitor that’s chained to Ace’s heart.</p><p>He was despairing, Sabo was.</p><p>Please beat for longer, he implored the heart.</p><p>Please breathe for longer, he implored the lungs.</p><p>Prayed for once in his life that the vital organs kept up their functions for a bit longer, just until his brothers both reached an age where it was custom or even just expected for people to die at.</p><p>Ace was twenty. That was nowhere near that as-yet-unreached age.</p><p>He should have so many more moments to share with his brothers.</p><p>He should have more moments to spend with Luffy, more moments with Sabo in his life.</p><p>He should still get to see that Sabo was alive, freaking alive for him to see.</p><p>That was important, that was.</p><p>Their brotherhood bond was alive – and Sabo wished, freaking wished with all his heart for his brothers both to be able to see that for themselves.</p><p>Please let them be alright.</p><p>Please let them survive this unscathed, mostly unharmed and alive.</p><p>Please let them get out of this alive.</p><p>With their lives, by the skin of their teeth, please let them be alive.</p><hr/><p>“I’m sorry.</p><p>I’m sorry, Ace.</p><p>I did worry you a lot when we were younger, didn’t I?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love comments, in case you're so inclined as to leave one? :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. "Good morning, dear listeners!"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Bon appetit!” he exclaimed in mangled French, making Sabo choke a little on the piece he’d taken a bite of a moment prior to his exclamation, and tucked in.</p><p>Served him well, if he had to be this annoying in the first place.</p><p>Aaaah, cake.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had a bit of trouble translating that quote into English... so if you find the translation a bit clunky, that's on me. ^^'</p><p>Hope you'll like this chapter! Enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Se réveiller de l’imaginaire est une dure réalité, mais croître dans l’exact est une noble vérité."</em>
</p><p>(<em>"To wake up from the imaginary is a hard reality, but to grow in exactitude is a noble truth"</em>)</p><p>~Claude-may Waia Némia</p><hr/><p>“Good morning, dear listeners, and welcome to today’s show!” Ace swivelled around in his seat dramatically, his voice conveying his enthusiasm for the radio program, his eyes bright and lit up from within with his excitement clear for everybody to see. “Welcome back to you faithful daily listeners out there! Thanks for switching on your radio, once more!”</p><p>He grinned. Today’s program was awesome – he’d already picked most of the songs he was going to be transmitting in the first half hour, and then there’d be a short quiz section followed by yet another half hour – or what was left of the time – filled with music. His listeners had good taste.</p><p>The black-haired man didn’t waste a minute to announce just this program for all those faithful listeners out there who’d tuned in to his program.</p><p>(One of those was his little brother, he knew. Couldn’t disappoint Luffy, now, could he?)</p><p>“We’ll start off with the first few bouts of pop songs followed by a few oldies now, shall we? We’re going to get to some indie produced songs later on, folks, no worries there!” his grin could be heard clearly in his voice.</p><p>Ah, he loved his job.</p><p>Switching on the first few rounds of music, he put his headphones down and the “On Air” sign out with the press of a button. He was done, for the time being. Marco would oversee his station for now and take over smoothly, should anything happen – and meanwhile he could take a brief break to go get himself a cuppa coffee or tea or cocoa – oooooh, cocoa! Great thinking, brain.</p><p>Pushing himself off his swivel chair, he got up quickly and headed out the door, off into a specific direction, namely the one where he could already smell the heavenly scent of someone having baked and brought in a cake-? Oh, wow. Cake and cocoa, the two divine Cs, at once! Hopeful, he pushed off the balls of his feet some more, trying to not have his walk develop into a sprint but close to it, nonetheless.</p><p>The “Eager, are we?” that awaited him when he cleared the doorjamb of the kitchen was as expected as it was rude. A short grimace later, he fixed the grin onto his face again and threw back, “As though you weren’t! That’s whose cake on your plate, there, half-eaten?”</p><p>Sabo grinned back at him in response, utterly unrepentant and dialling up the smugness level he exhibited on a daily basis. The blond’s job wasn’t done yet, he knew, but the brief respite was well-earned, from what he heard about the other man’s work ethic. Working in the archive to dig through old newspapers that looked as though they could be destroyed by the next breeze going through a window and wade through bookfuls upon bookfuls of glossaries and dictionaries couldn’t be an easy job, but someone had to do that.</p><p>Ace was just glad that he and Sabo managed to snag those jobs, at all.</p><p>Time hadn’t been good to them so far, and that way, at least, the rent and Luffy’s education could be paid off. Some months, they could even put some aside on top of those expenses – that had to count for something, right?</p><p>Job security was important and with it came quite a bit financial security that they could count on, too.</p><p>Providing for his brothers’ education was vital for their advancement in life, Ace felt. He hadn’t really got much of an interest in a university career, but he knew Sabo did. And Luffy had to at least get a base education, both older brothers felt strongly about that.</p><p>Their youngest could then go on and do whatever he wanted to do with his life, but the basic educational program had to be passed – that was their sole stipulation. Thus, the younger boy was stuck at home alone whenever both older brothers were out to work for their expenses and hopefully not getting into as much trouble as Ace could already see brewing on the horizon.</p><p>Well, he’d count himself lucky not to have to pay for yet another window or door that the younger boy smashed in a bout of overexcitation.</p><p>Taking a look into the freezer brough him closer to his goal: there, in the middle of the communal freezer, innocently on a plate, were the last few pieces of chocolate cake.</p><p>Ah, life was amazing.</p><p>“<em>… live.</em>”</p><p>Now, if it weren’t for those pesky voices he kept hearing at odd moments during his workday, that would be even better. Snagging a fork from one of the drawers underneath the counter nearby and grabbing a small plate for himself, he carefully nudged a piece of cake onto it and, cautiously balancing it, closed the fridge door with one foot while holding the plate and the fork in his hands. Next, he eagerly made his way over to his brother, taking a seat right next to the blond.</p><p>Smug grin notwithstanding, he fondly threw the other an eyeroll for his obnoxiousness. But Ace had cake now, that ought to count for something, right?</p><p>“Bon appetit!” he exclaimed in mangled French, making Sabo choke a little on the piece he’d taken a bite of a moment prior to his exclamation, and tucked in.</p><p>Served him well, if he had to be this annoying in the first place.</p><p>Aaaah, cake.</p><p>Lovely, chocolatey cake.</p><p>“-<em>only so much we can</em>-“</p><p>Cake.</p><p>Forcefully bringing his thoughts back to the present, he wondered what was wrong with him, giving the cake a thoughtful look. Yes, his job dealt with people’s voices and audio recordings all day, but.</p><p>That didn’t mean it had to influence him this much as to make him hallucinate people’s voices, surely?</p><p>Strangers’ voices, on top of that.</p><p>With a few utterances of his brothers’ thrown in for good measure that he definitely knew weren’t from them at all.</p><p>All in all, it was baffling.</p><p>The cake was good, though?</p><p>“<em>Don’t know if he will</em>-“</p><p>… huh?</p><p>Wasn’t that Mar-</p><p>“Oi, Ace.” The familiar face of Marco leaned in through the door, addressing him and successfully bringing him out of his funk. It couldn’t have been.</p><p>Couldn’t have been the blond’s voice, with that worried tone in it, Ace had to have been hallucinating that.</p><p>(Although what he’d done to hallucinate it in the first place, he didn’t know.)</p><p>(Distrustfully, he eyed the chocolate cake, suspecting something off with it.)</p><p>Then, he quickly glanced back up at his co-worker’s face again, asking, “Yeah? What’s wrong?”</p><p>There couldn’t have been a problem with the music, could there be?</p><p>Ace hadn’t had any trouble with his working methods ever since he’d started working there.</p><p>What was going on?</p><p>When Marco motioned for him to follow with a negligent hand wave, all he could do was bid Sabo goodbye with a look and do as he’d been asked.</p><p>Sabo nodded back at him, rather quick to dismiss him – and, yes, turning around shortly before he exited the room through the door told him everything he needed to know: his blond nuisance of a brother was already swiping his plate and pulling it towards him, the glutton.</p><p>Phew, brothers.</p><p>Rolling his eyes, Ace took a step through the door and glanced up and right, where he’d seen Marco go. The dark-haired man swore he blinked only once – but it was enough for the scenery to change before his very eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Have you had fun reading this latest installment of mine? I hope you did!</p><p>We have (barely) crossed the halfway point of this fic of mine, dear readers! Yep, there's another ~15k+ waiting for you in the rafters. :D<br/>Can't wait to get it out (though editing is taking its sweet sweet time, lemme tell you...)!</p><p>Don't hesitate to leave a comment, if you're in the mood to, dear readers of mine~ I love those! =^_^=</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. It makes us happy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were-</p><p>Colleagues.</p><p>Allies.</p><p>Friends.</p><p>Not – <i>not</i> brothers.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Have fun reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Happiness comes from within and is found in the present moment by making peace with the past and looking forward to the future."</em>
</p><p>~Doe Zantamata</p><hr/><p>His eyes were still staring to the right, at the blond Commander’s backside, before he was rudely shaken out of whatever trance he’d fallen into by a hand clapping him on his back.</p><p>A loud laugh greeted his ears, while he was wheezing from the hit.</p><p>The sound was-</p><p>He was-</p><p>Ace’s eyes were blown wide open, realizing what-</p><p>No, realizing <em>who</em>-</p><p>Who exactly-</p><p>That was-</p><p><em>Thatch</em>.</p><p>Thatch, who’d-</p><p>Who’d died.</p><p>No.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>Hang on.</p><p>He hadn’t died?</p><p>How come Ace thought-</p><p>Ace thought that Thatch had died?</p><p>But he hadn’t, had he? Thatch hadn’t died and Ace hadn’t been fought for, on that battlefield at Marineford, had he?</p><p>No, they were-</p><p>The wooden walls his eyes noticed next were a balm to his soul, for he recognised them, <em>recognised them</em> as familiar, even though he hadn’t been there, hadn’t placed a step on this boat-this ship, in a long, long time.</p><p>It had been years, hadn’t it been?</p><p>Had been years, since he last set eyes-</p><p>Since he-</p><p>Heaving a breath, he slowly uncurled from the crouch the hit had thrown him into.</p><p>Uncurled his spine, stood up straight and-</p><p>Saw Marco, ahead of him, just turning to look back at him in askance, as though questioning what was taking them so long.</p><p>And to the left, slightly behind himself was-</p><p>Thatch.</p><p>Thatch, the Moby Dick’s chef.</p><p>Oyaji’s fourth Division Commander was looking at him with humour in his eyes, a certain mischievousness present, with that scar running down his face’s left hand side.</p><p>This was-</p><p>A dream, right?</p><p>No, wait, hang on, this wasn’t-</p><p>Was this even real?</p><p>His brows furrowed as Ace thought back to what he’d been doing.</p><p>He’d been- been showing them around, right. Showing them the Piece of Spadille and let their expert eyes judge for themselves just how intact it was, despite it surviving Wano and all that their various New World adventures entailed.</p><p>They were-</p><p>Colleagues.</p><p>Allies.</p><p>Friends.</p><p>Not – <em>not</em> brothers.</p><p>At least, not in that sense.</p><p>How come Ace had thought, for a moment there – he’d thought that he was a brother, a shipmate, a crewmate, close confidant even, to-</p><p>To <em>Edward Newgate’s Division Commanders</em>?</p><p>A snort made its way up and out into the air between them, unbidden and unhindered as it was surprising for him.</p><p>“Ah, uhm. Sorry.” Quickly, he held up his hands, to stave off any misconceptions or misunderstandings that might arise from the action alone.</p><p>That hadn’t been his intention, to make fun of them.</p><p>So he hoped it didn’t come across that way?</p><p>Ace was floundering a bit, left to stare dazedly at the blond man in front of him and the brunet at his side in a comical, alternating pattern, because he <em>could swear</em> he’d seen one of them die and the other-</p><p>Deuce was the one who brought him out of it by rolling his eyes at his captain and taking the initiative to take care of their guests, while Ace was so obviously, mentally, somewhere else.</p><p>Somewhere else entirely, it seemed.</p><p>Throwing back a quick slightly worried look at Ace, Masked Deuce took their guests’ arms and led them through the rest of the ship, leaving behind his captain in a bit of a daze because of the quickness of the action.</p><p>Ace was-</p><p>Raising a hand to his head, he turned back around to return into the room they’d been on the verge of exiting, before.</p><p>It had been his captain’s cabin, a big table making up the centrepiece of the room – and, although Ace rarely used it, he sat down heavily into the chair provided behind it.</p><p>The chair wobbled a bit, then settled down.</p><p>Unlike his thoughts.</p><p>How come Ace had thought-</p><p>For a moment, he’d thought that-</p><p>That both Division Commanders had been involved in a war?</p><p>About him, moreover.</p><p>But no one knew about his heritage, right?</p><p>Ace thought he’d hidden it well, buried it deep down under nonsensical information, when not even Whitebeard suspected anything?</p><p>Ace was sure he hadn’t left anything behind for the marines to find -</p><p>Hadn’t left anything when he’d left-</p><p>When Luffy had-</p><p>When Sabo-</p><p>Not even-</p><p>Him.</p><p>There <em>wasn’t</em> anything to find for anyone, Ace should know better than anyone else.</p><p>The Gray Terminal Fire hadn’t just taken out the Gray Terminal, after all.</p><p>The whole kingdom had burned, that day.</p><p>The whole island had burned.</p><p>That’s why Ace hadn’t-</p><p>Hadn’t got any-</p><p>Had lost-</p><p>Lost.</p><p>Everything, that day.</p><p>Everybody had been lost, that day.</p><p>There wasn’t anything connecting him to Ace-</p><p>To the Ace that had been taken up, taken in by a marine hero-</p><p>Marine Hero Garp, who’d come and tried, attempted to save them, to save-</p><p>There were flames playing with each other behind his eyelids, once he closed them.</p><p>Flames upon flames, fire licking at Ace’s fingertips, at Ace’s clothes, his shoulders-</p><p>He wasn’t sure he was breathing, when he stuttered out an unexpected sigh.</p><p>There wasn’t anything to mourn, really, was there?</p><p>When there was nothing that had survived.</p><p>Nobody but him, in any case.</p><p>Ace was alone.</p><p>By himself.</p><p>Alone.</p><p>All alone.</p><p>(<em>“Why do you call that man Oyaji?”</em>)</p><p>Opening his eyes, he took in a breath, feeling as though he’d been drowning.</p><p>And in a way, he had been, hadn’t he?</p><p>He’d been drowning in old, old memories.</p><p>Ace felt his age and twice that, then.</p><p>He wasn’t even twenty, why’d he go and make himself feel this old?</p><p>There wasn’t a reason for that.</p><p>All of a sudden, Ace wasn’t sure <em>what</em> to feel.</p><p>What to think.</p><p>What-</p><p>What even.</p><p>Huffing a breath, he let one hand touch his forehead and go down his face, slowly, like he’d seen Sabo-</p><p>Like he’d seen Sabo do, once upon a time.</p><p>Like he’d seen his blond nuisance of a brother do, whenever Ace (or Luffy) had done something he couldn’t quite believe they’d done. Something idiotic, most likely.</p><p>There was something quite touching, about it.</p><p>Something calming, in the action alone.</p><p>And his mood visibly brightened a notch.</p><p>His mouth drew up into a smile that felt more nostalgic than anything else he’d felt that day.</p><p>More nostalgic even, than watching all those photographs on the wall.</p><p>He had a lot of those, didn’t he?</p><p>(<em>“Because that man calls us his sons.”</em>)</p><p>They were of Garp. Of the three of them, of Makino.</p><p>Hell, Ace even had one of Dadan, for the heck of it.</p><p>(<em><strike>Because he could. Because it was one of the pictures he </strike></em><strike>could<em> save, that was why.</em></strike>)</p><p>He hadn’t been able to save a lot, hadn’t been able to save anyone at all, back then, when Garp had thrown him-</p><p>Had thrown him into that fisher boat-</p><p>And he’d watched – <em>had had</em> <em>to</em> <em>watch</em>-</p><p>His whole childhood burn.</p><p>His whole life, burn.</p><p>His siblings, burn.</p><p>His adoptive-</p><p>Burn.</p><p>Great.</p><p>Gulping, heavily, once, Ace tried for some semblance of normalcy, again.</p><p>This was just a mood, just a plunge down memory lane, wasn’t it?</p><p>He could deal with those. Deuce had made sure they’d been working on those.</p><p>Ace would – he could-</p><p>Deal.</p><p>(<em>“To the rest of the world, we’re all just outcasts, yoi.”</em>)</p><p>He’d found his family, in the end.</p><p>Found his crew, a crew of his own.</p><p>And they’d found and accepted him.</p><p>Accepted both him and his issues and troubles-</p><p>And nightmares.</p><p>Oh, loads of them.</p><p>But he’d had fun, too.</p><p>And he was still going to.</p><p>Going to have fun, together-</p><p>Together with them, with his crew.</p><p>They were there for him, after all, just like he was for them.</p><p>(<em>“It makes us happy. It’s just a word, but it makes</em> <em>us happy.”</em>)</p><p>They were his chosen family, after all.</p><p>Nothing better in the world, than that.</p><p>Raising his chin, he got up from the chair in one smooth move, carefully put one foot in front of the other and headed back out of his cabin. Going through the wooden corridors, his heart was reminding him that he hadn’t-</p><p>No, he had been living on the Piece of Spadille for more than two years, he’d seen these very walls every single day, there wasn’t a chance he wasn’t at least well acquainted with them.</p><p>No way was he reminiscing about the last time that he’d seen them already – when that last time had <em>not</em> in fact been two years ago, but just yesterday, one day into the past.</p><p>He’d slept surrounded by these very walls, what on earth was he on to find them this nostalgia-inducing?</p><p>Ace shook his head, seriously hoping he would be able to focus once he’d entered fresh air again.</p><p>There was not a chance on the Grand Line that he was going to let some mushroom – or drug induced haze change the good mood he’s fallen into from the moment that the Whitebeards – their allies – had entered the captain’s cabin together with him.</p><p>No, he’d just needed a moment to sort himself out.</p><p>Sort himself out a bit and turn his thoughts back onto less heavy topics.</p><p>The fresh air worked wonders, he found, once he was outside, on deck.</p><p>Breathing it in like a man bereft of it for all too long a time, he closed his eyes in bliss.</p><p>Oh, the salt in the atmosphere, the sea sounds all around him and the wind breezing through his hair like the menace it was-</p><p>To live through this life, he’d not change it for a thing.</p><p>To be on this ship, to be alive-</p><p>Ace would love every single moment of it.</p><p>Every single heartbeat, every single second.</p><p>He’d love it.</p><p>For his brothers, for his adoptive mother, for Garp, even.</p><p>He <em>would</em>.</p><p>And, once he turned his head, he saw the Moby Dick – the Whitebeard’s grand vessel, impressive as per usual – docked nearby. There were people on deck that greeted him with a wave of their hands and arms, when they saw him – and he greeted them back with a smile that didn’t quite feel out of place, any more.</p><p>Ace was okay.</p><p>He was alright.</p><p>It would be alright.</p><p>A movement drew his eyes up.</p><p>And up and further up indeed, where the flag-</p><p>The Whitebeards’ flag flew, mightily raised, in the air, the crew’s signature jolly roger proudly on display.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you liked it?</p><p>I wouldn't mind a comment, if you're in the mood to? ^_^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Spirit is Willing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ace was forgetting something.</p><p>Ah, but that wasn’t weird, ne?</p><p>It would come to him again.</p><p>He was sure it would.</p><p>It always did.</p><p>(<i>“Make up your mind already!”</i>)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finding a chapter title proved more difficult than finding the quote was this time around... XD</p><p>Hope you'll like it, dear readers~! Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Your shadow is bought and paid for, and your death will not remit that payment. You can go shadowless into the shadowless world, and your death will only be one last dark thing on my long dark road. It will hurt me but I do not care. It is all but over."</em>
</p><p>~Erin Bow, Plain Kate</p>
<hr/><p>There was a flag.</p><p>A flag beckoned him, into this world.</p><p>And there was… a <em>disconnect</em>, between; him and- the world?</p><p>Shaking his head didn’t help much. Instead, it was rather more disorienting, so he stopped it as soon as he could. Well. “This is an interesting situation,” he thought to himself and looked down at the floorboards.</p><p>Was there- his feet were… see-through? Somehow, it didn’t shock him as much as he thought it ought to, really. Huh, weird. Had his hands always been this… light? There was a hammer in his left one, too, he noticed, feeling its weight slightly weighing his hand down. It was not nearly as heavy as he supposed it should be, but that was- that was secondary.</p><p>No, there was a more pressing matter at hand at the moment.</p><p>He’d awoken, after all, and that was not in any case a good sign of things to come and befall the crew, he instinctively knew that much, at least.</p><p>Ace should have slept, should have still rested in the inner bough, stayed stuck in the floorboards, watched the crew flurry about via the portholes and help the helmsman steer with the steering wheel.</p><p>His raincoat did nothing to hide just what he was – and he <em>knew</em> that the humans were aware he’d bring doom with him, a warning, whenever he awakened.</p><p>Which he had.</p><p>(<em>Brothers, friends, family fell to their deaths all around him</em>)</p><p>The images passed by his eyes too quickly to make out any details at all, and yet, and yet. He knew they were going to come to pass should the crew not change their course anytime soon.</p><p>There was-</p><p>A brother.</p><p>A betrayal.</p><p>A beheading.</p><p>All those things were in the cards, in the future – <em>the oh-so-near future!</em> – of his very much treasured crew. No way. Vehemently denying the facts, he shook his head to rid himself of the prophecy that had entered his head.</p><p>No.</p><p>Way.</p><p>No way would he sit back like a good little klabautermann and have those things happen in front of his very eyes. No way would he let destiny, fate or the higher powers have their way with the crew – that was what he’d been made for, that was what he was here for, after all! No way would he leave it up to luck if his beloved crew survived this intact or not!</p><p>Ace would not sit by!</p><p>Raising his head, the little spirit knew exactly where he was needed right at this moment and wasted no time to head just there.</p><p>Once he got there, he knew immediately what was going on.</p><p>One glance, and he <em>knew</em>, knew who-</p><p>Knew what was going-</p><p>There was-</p><p>barely a moment to spare.</p><p>Barely a second longer, and he’d have been too late.</p><p>Too late to do a thing, too late to raise his hammer and-</p><p>Jump in-between the two, in-between the knife and the back of the man who’d been his brother in another life, who’d been his crewmate, an ally, a <em>friend</em>-</p><p>Family.</p><p>What’s family against a betrayer?</p><p>What’s a betrayer, against a klabautermann?</p><p>Fish meat, that was what.</p><p>Ace’s eyes narrowed.</p><p>His hammer was burning, in his left hand, still propped between the knife and the man’s back.</p><p>The man’s <em>unprotected</em> back, the man who was now turning around in his direction and his eyes were wide open -</p><p>Beholding the tiny klabautermann, a spirit borrowing energy from the ship he was a crewmate on, from the ship he was family on, from the ship he was staying as a brother on-</p><p>A brother.</p><p>A ship-brother, that was what he was.</p><p>And the klabautermann’s eyes were burning as Ace was staring down the betrayer.</p><p>The dark-haired checkered-teethed man, the one that’s named after a master of their craft giving on their talents and gifts and knowledge but not worthy of a student in his life-</p><p>The man that was named <em>Teach</em>, of all the possible names he could hold.</p><p>Of all the names the man could have been christened with.</p><p>Of all the names the betrayer could have been called.</p><p>Of all the names the traitor claimed as his own.</p><p>And he had the audacity to take that one?</p><p>The daring, to call that one his?</p><p>To claim that one, as <em>his</em>?</p><p>Oh, Ace would show him.</p><p>Would show him, would <em>teach him</em>-</p><p>“Ah-aaaah. Erm… hhhiiii.” The voice threw him out of his rage faster and more successfully than anything else would have.</p><p>One</p><p>                       glance</p><p>                                                      up-</p><p>one look at the brunet chef-</p><p>was all it took, in the end.</p><p>Ace never did see the hit coming until it had bowled him over, raincoat swirling in the air, hammer flying wide and his head <em>hurting</em>-</p><p>Hurting, like nothing ever had, before.</p><p>The young spirit dropped like a stone.</p><p>Dropped, to the ground, visible and touchable and-</p><p>Out of it, he only barely managed to open his eyes, to see-</p><p>A turquoise light, the tail end of a mythical creature he’d only laid eyes on once before.</p><p>He turned his head slightly to the left, to the ground, to better hear-</p><p>the scuffle that broke out over his person, over his spirit form, over the being that he was-</p><p>and then, nothing, darkness encroaching at the edges of his vision, beckoning him closer, beckoning him to follow-</p><p>His hammer.</p><p>(“<em>Hey, how long are you gonna keep risking your life like that?</em>”)</p><p>He woke up to the sound of whirring. It was a comfortable, comforting sound, a calming noise, overlaying many others that he called his home. There was nary a sound on the whole ship that he knew better than the whirring of cogs and gears as they stuck together and let go of each other again in an eternal drive for more, around and around as they went, the rhythm never changing, the pattern always the same-</p><p>It was soothing.</p><p>Ace’s heart ached, a little.</p><p>That was nothing new, though.</p><p>The feeling of the blankets upon his person, though, that was new.</p><p>The taste of something – some sort of… stale, bitter? taste – that was new, as well.</p><p>In addition to that, he could… smell? Something. Something burning.</p><p>“Gah! Darn it, that shouldn’t be this hard-!” a curse and a clatter of pans later, he had turned his head into the direction of the noise as he got a good look at who it was that had cursed this loudly.</p><p>There was a moment of peaceful silence, once the man noticed him looking and greeted him with a cautious nod.</p><p>“F’nally awake, are ya?” the man asked him.</p><p>His accent was weird, strange. He was sporting a beard that was rather longer than Ace thought it had any right to be, too.</p><p>“Nasty hit you took there, back at the reef.” Reef? Ace blinked in bemusement.</p><p>What on earth was the man talking about?</p><p>Around then, Ace noticed something.</p><p>Something strange, it was weird.</p><p>Ace was forgetting something.</p><p>Ah, but that wasn’t weird, ne?</p><p>It would come to him again.</p><p>He was sure it would.</p><p>It always did.</p><p>(“<em>Make up your mind already!</em>”)</p><p>“… who are you?” he finally asked the man.</p><p>The old man only raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t know?” he asked Ace, the eyebrow climbing higher when Ace had to shake his head at him, “D’ya know where you are?”</p><p>The dark-haired youth shook his head, again, at that, and the man finally took pity on him. “Yer on Dawn, boy.”</p><p><em>Dawn</em>…?</p><p>Wait, hadn’t Ace been-?</p><p>Hadn’t he been on the Moby Dick-?</p><p>Asked the ship for help because without it, he-</p><p>Without it, he wouldn’t have been able to stand between-</p><p>Wouldn’t have been able to move in-between Teach and Thatch before-</p><p>Before-</p><p>No, wait.</p><p>He wasn’t a klabautermann.</p><p>He wasn’t.</p><p>But.</p><p>There was… something.</p><p>Something he’d traded, wasn’t there?</p><p><em>Traded</em>, for knowledge. For the chance – to change, <em>for change</em>.</p><p>Attentive at his own thoughts, he paused.</p><p>Where were they leading him?</p><p>Ace had traded something.</p><p>For… a brother?</p><p>His brother.</p><p>Sabo?</p><p>No.</p><p>Luffy.</p><p>He’d traded-</p><p>he’d traded for Luffy.</p><p>Asked for something to help-</p><p>to help him, aid him in the fire, hadn’t he?</p><p>And he’d gotten a hand, a helping hand that he hadn’t counted on.</p><p>And then…</p><p>And then.</p><p>Then, he’d woken.</p><p>And lived on.</p><p>And then-</p><p>Now.</p><p>He was back.</p><p>At the terminal, wasn’t he?</p><p>Was there a chance- an opportunity?</p><p>For him, to save-</p><p>Sabo?</p><p>
  <em>“The way you are right now, you can’t take Oyaji’s head.”</em>
</p><p>No, not Oyaji’s head, he couldn’t take that one.</p><p>But Sabo’s father’s head, he could-</p><p>Couldn’t he?</p><p>Pausing, contemplating, calculatingly, he ran the thought over once in his head, then came to a conclusion and <em>grinned</em>.</p><p>
  <em>“Are you gonna get off this ship and start over? Or are you gonna stay here… and accept Whitebeard’s mark?”</em>
</p><p>How could he not?</p><p>How on earth could he not?</p><p>How could he refuse such an offer?</p><p>When it brought so much joy with it, at the same time?</p><p>So many siblings, so many new family members to call his own, so many more people-</p><p>People to care for, people to occupy his thoughts with, people to let into his heart-</p><p>Wasn’t that fair, all in all?</p><p>And then again.</p><p>He could-</p><p>Save Sabo.</p><p>Help Sabo, now.</p><p>Help Sabo, cause he’s back here, now.</p><p>At this point in time? He ought to at least know how to save his brother in all but blood.</p><p>After all, he’d traded, for that.</p><p>Traded-</p><p>Implies-</p><p>Lost</p><p>And</p><p>Gained.</p><p>In return.</p><p>Gained some-</p><p>Something more-</p><p>Than what he had had.</p><p>That was what was implied, right?</p><p>Oh, but what he’d lost- he wouldn’t get back.</p><p>But was it this important, this vital, to him, in the end?</p><p>What was his fire, but a part of him that he could trade in for-</p><p>The ones that kept it burning, in the end?</p><p>No, Ace didn’t mind.</p><p>Even as he stared at it, even-</p><p>Even as he watched it be blown away-</p><p>Even as he felt it leave his body, leave his mind-</p><p>Ace didn’t mind at all, even when it didn’t feel freeing, but-</p><p>As though he were grounded, as though he’d lost something huge,-</p><p>Something he wouldn’t ever get back, wouldn’t ever be able to get back-</p><p>Was it worth it, in the end?</p><p>Ace bit his lip.</p><p>It was.</p><p>
  <em>Fire.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How did you like it? I wouldn't mind a comment, if you're so inclined?</p><p>Thank you very much for reading this fic of mine, dear readers! Hope you're having fun~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Keep Your Head Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There was water all around him. In surprise, he barely remembered not to let go of his breath and swim-</p><p>Swim up. Where was up, though? Ace was dizzy for all but a moment.</p><p>Fortunately, he’d always been the one to get Luffy out of some pond or another, the sea or a lake, back home. He knew how to hold his breath for what felt like an eternity, until he saw a black head-</p><p>And he followed the black head, having been transported back on memory lane and not altogether very sure if he was dreaming or not, but that black-haired head looked familiar, was familiar to him and he was nothing if not the big brother Luffy could count on to save his hide-</p><p>Grabbing a hold of a random limb, he reoriented himself, just like he’d used to do back home, all those moments when his heart had skipped a beat cause he’d thought that this time, this time, he might have been too late to save his brother-</p><p>But no, it was never too late!</p><p>As long as he knew where to dive to, he was safe and he’d save Luffy, too.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Having been thrown straight into video gaming heaven right before my time has been claimed once more by classes and training and <i>work</i>-</p><p>I've been busy, is all. XD</p><p>This chapter's a bit more unhinged than the ones that came before, I'm afraid... ^_^' just as a little warning. Hope you can still enjoy it, dear readers?</p><p>Have fun reading~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"So little of the world makes sense. It's only that most people either construct a narrative in which it does or try to ignore it."</em>
</p><p>~Sheba Karim, Mariam Sharma Hits the Road</p>
<hr/><p>Fire.</p><p>A fire was ravaging the buildings. All the adjacent ones were at risk of catching on flames as well, naturally, what with their roofs having been made of wooden beams and their rooftops being held together by wood more often than not. It was a perfect distraction.</p><p>Indeed, the fires served as a beautiful distraction of what was going on below, below any floors that the Celestial Dragons were dwelling on, in the undergrounds, where an unnamed slave had managed to snatch a key – a key that was small and silver and vital to quite a few somebodies’ continued survival – and open the doors to some of the slave quarters doubling as prisons.</p><p>Running through the corridors that were barely if at all lit up by torches that were hung on the walls, he carefully navigated the steps he knew were there – there was one that sloped a little to the left, though, better not to slip and fall on that one, now. He was glad of his black hair – that way, he easily blended in with the darkness permeating the air and wasn’t as easily visible, allowing him to slip by the few guards that had not been called upstairs to the surface yet as though it were child’s play.</p><p>Ace’s body wasn’t all that used to the extra exercise, though, and he had to conserve his energy, trying to preserve most of it for later, for when he knew there could crop up possible snags in his plan. No escape plan of his had ever been foolproof, he’d learned, and learned the hard way, at that. He did well to be pessimistically inclined, at least until he cleared the Red Line’s cliffs.</p><p>After that, well.</p><p>He didn’t yet dare dream any further.</p><p>There, there was a corner he had to get around undetected right up ahead. Silently, he slipped up to it on tiptoes. Holding his breath, he didn’t even dare move his arms from his sides. Sneaking up to the corner, he slowly, ever so slowly, shoulders tense, whole body ready to jump right back, out of the way and dash at once back down the corridor, should something happen to raise an alarm in any way, he dared move his head forwards slightly, glancing around the corner as carefully as he could.</p><p>Nothing. No one there.</p><p>Phew.</p><p>Letting out the breath he’d been holding inside, he allowed himself to relax a smidgen.</p><p>It was quiet, for all that he knew there was chaos raging above his head, above the surface, where people were hysterically running about, trying in vain to put out the biggest fires.</p><p>Not much time left at all until the marines would arrive – and with them reinforcements, to reign in the most chaotic elements. There was still that tunnel to run through, towards the end where he knew was a small, tiny, entrance leading to a waste chute down the Red Line.</p><p>Better that than anything that would await him up here, really.</p><p>There was no mercy to be had, when he was the one who set those fires in the first place.</p><p>Grimacing, he climbed to the only exit that was still available to him and slid into the entrance of the chute, holding the upper corner with both hands so as not yet to slip down. Who knew if he’d manage to stay alive, doing this?</p><p>Well, there went nothing, he thought to himself and let go of the upper edge.</p>
<hr/><p>The fall down the chute was exhilarating as it was stressful. There was nothing to hold onto, nothing but the wind beating against his face, his clothes rubbing across some of the surfaces and it went down, down, <em>down</em>.</p><p>After a while, Ace simply closed his eyes and willed himself to think back to better times, to times when he’d still been on Dawn Island, still been together with Sabo and <em>Luffy</em>-</p><p>A bump threw him rudely out of his daydream. His back hurt from the impact and he knew there’d be a bruise there later. His eyes having opened on reflex, he still saw nothing but the darkness that was swishing past his eyesight. There wasn’t much to see and it was nauseating, to be honest.</p><p>Tears sprung unbidden to his eyes, and Ace thought it was the better part of valour, most possibly, to simply close them for the time being – at least, until he arrived at whichever dump the chute decided to throw him out on.</p><p>The trash dump couldn’t be worse than Grey Terminal, could it? (<em>did he just jinx it by thinking that, he wondered?</em>)</p><p>When he exited the chute, it felt like a freefall, like he’d simply jumped down a cliffside back home, one where he’d already jumped down multiple times so far, no matter his protesting knees, and, on reflex, by instinct, he readied his legs to soften his fall.</p><p>Instead of a hard ground, though, there was a huge splash and he barely managed to take in enough breath and hold it before his feet met with the saltwater surface.</p><p>There was water-</p><p>There was water all around him. In surprise, he barely remembered not to let go of his breath and swim-</p><p>Swim up. Where was up, though? Ace was dizzy for all but a moment.</p><p>Fortunately, he’d always been the one to get Luffy out of some pond or another, the sea or a lake, back home. He knew how to hold his breath for what felt like an eternity, until he saw a black head-</p><p>And he followed the black head, having been transported back on memory lane and not altogether very sure if he was dreaming or not, but that black-haired head looked familiar, was familiar to him and he was nothing if not the big brother Luffy could count on to save his hide-</p><p>Grabbing a hold of a random limb, he reoriented himself, just like he’d used to do back home, all those moments when his heart had skipped a beat cause he’d thought that this time, this time, he might have been too late to save his brother-</p><p>But no, it was never too late!</p><p>As long as he knew where to dive to, he was safe and he’d save Luffy, too.</p><p>There!</p><p>There was light shining through the watery surface, that had to be up, then.</p><p>With wide swimming motions, he felt himself advancing, a limbful of his cargo safely grabbed in both hands, just so he could be sure that Luffy wouldn’t sink down to the unknown depths of whatever hellhole he’d managed to fall down this time around.</p><p>His clothes’ flimsy patched-togetherness had never thus far helped him as much as they did now. They didn’t drag him down nearly as much as they’d used to back home and, for all of a moment, he wondered about that, before relegating the fact to the back of his mind to be thought about later, when he wasn’t busy trying to save the two of them from drowning – <em>again!</em> – and had time to spare for that sort of frivolous thinking.</p><p>His arms were not half as muscular, too, and he had to move more in the cool, cold, icy freezing waters that Luffy had fallen down into this time around.</p><p>As soon as he thought about that, the ice permeated his skin and was felt all around like a cold, <em>cold</em> blanket having been draped over his shoulders and it was dragging him down-</p><p>But no, he couldn’t allow himself to be dragged down, not now, not when he had Luffy to think about-</p><p>He was not alone, he was not by himself, he had to take care of his little brother, fuck any cold freezing iciness trying to settle underneath his skin, that feeling could fuck right off along with all the baddies of the world – he was not letting his little brother <em>drown</em>, fuck it!</p><p>Luffy couldn’t swim! He had to swim for himself <em>and</em> Luffy, couldn’t the waves see that and be a little more understanding? Bloody hell, what had he got to do for that to be understood already?!?</p><p>When he broke the surface, it was with a breath of relief that he greedily took into his abused lungs. Dragging Luffy’s head towards his chest-</p><p>Oh.</p><p>That was not Luffy.</p><p>So.</p><p>Uhm.</p><p>Huh.</p><p>His train of thought successfully arrested in its tracks, he regarded the black-haired head he was cradling in his arms for one, long moment, before he felt a wave move him up and up and his eyes focused back on the Red Line’s cliffs-</p><p>His eyes widened in fear.</p><p>The two of them were far too close.</p><p>They had to go-</p><p>They had to swim,</p><p>Had to flee-</p>
<hr/><p>It was- there was-</p><p>Ace’s brain was scrambling to catch up to what he’d had happen to him in that short amount of time between seeing the cliffs, the rocks coming closer and closer to them and-</p><p>Now.</p><p>It- defied description, really.</p><p>Somehow, they’d been saved. And he was gasping for breath on the floorboards of a ship-</p><p>A sailing ship that had a functioning crew on it that didn’t know-</p><p>Hadn’t seen his ankle yet, hadn’t seen but his clothes and was busy navigating their arses out of there-</p><p>For a storm was upon them before he could even mentally connect the boat with “safety” and it-</p><p>It was terrifying, cause then there was a downwards whirlpool that was sucking them down and Ace hadn’t ever even seen the sea this determined to pull down a ship before and he didn’t know where to-</p><p>How to hold on to, what to hold onto-</p><p>And oh shit.</p><p>It was-</p><p>It was going underwater, dragging the ship with them on it downwards, downwards, there was a spiralling water whirlpool that was dragging their boat down and oh fuck.</p><p>Expletives were not sufficient to express his disbelief at whatever it was that was happening to them now.</p><p>What the hell.</p><p>So, they were underwater?</p><p>The ship was being dragged down, still being dragged down, and Ace had clutched the main mast’s ropes like a lifeline – which, to be fair, to him, they were that.</p><p>There was a huge, weird bubble all around the ship, coating it, covering it and defending it against water breaking through. Ace had held his breath for the first few minutes that they’d been sucked down for fear of drowning after he’d managed to break through the water surface-</p><p>And it had been for nothing. There was perfectly breathable air all around him, tucked right into the bubble that’s surrounding the ship. The crew was… jubilant at that, of all things to be.</p><p>Their joy and uninhibited happiness was affecting him somewhat, making him release his deathgrip on the ropes and the back of the black-haired man’s shirt that he’d on instinct clutched in his hands, as well.</p><p>Anything grabbable always had been free to be grabbed, particularly in life-threatening situations such as these.</p><p>To be fair, Ace didn’t tend to attract half as many of those as Luffy did-</p><p>And he missed the younger boy, still.</p><p>Hoped he’d escaped the slavers, when they’d been-</p><p>Ah. Stop. No going down memory lane when all it did was hurt him.</p><p>Gulping down his thoughts, the black-haired teenager relaxed his grips and allowed himself to breathe. Greedily breathed the air that was provided for him. And looked around.</p><p>There was a blond who was clearly in charge of the ship. The man smirked down at him from the bough and had been one of the first to thank him for-</p><p>For dragging their crewmate out of the water.</p><p>When all he’d done was thinking the black-haired man that was a good head bigger than he was had been <em>Luffy</em>- had been Luffy drowning and he had had to <em>save</em>-</p><p>And then there was that Fishman – that <em>was</em> a Fishman, right? They’d referred to the guy as such – that had dragged the two of them aboard. Shortly before the downwards stream hit.</p><p>Ace was shaking, he noticed. Trembling in-</p><p>Exhaustion.</p><p>There was fear there, too.</p><p>And his eyes went glassy, his knees gave out on him.</p><p>Falling to the floor, he could feel the darkness encroaching on him, creeping into his field of vision to shouts-</p><p>Shouts that his ears could barely make out, they echoed weirdly, he felt the darkness encompassing his vision and felt the sleepiness upon him, the slumber beckoning him closer as it always did these days, randomly throughout the day, but on an enemy ship he shouldn’t let it-</p><p>And Ace couldn’t help it, couldn’t do anything to make it stop when-</p><p>His head hit the floorboards with a thud when he fell asleep on deck, his hand letting go of the ropes to the main mast to shouts of the crew, the First Mate rushing over to his fallen figure.</p>
<hr/><p>When he woke up again, his first thought was that it had been a while since he last slept in a bed, and he was immediately suspicious. Frowning, he felt around the soft surface with his hands, his fingers snagging in the cloth. It was nothing fancy, no noble bed like he knew from way back when Sabo once showed him his.</p><p>A cushion was underneath his head and it was-</p><p>It was weird, waking up to this.</p><p>This sort of comfort was rare in their tree house, even rarer in the slaves quarters where he’d resided lately.</p><p>No way was that his. So it had to be someone else’s that he’d been given, that he was now lying upon. Quick as a snake, he sat up in the bed, unwillingly inviting the dizziness into his head, once more. Clutching his head, he groaned, trying to keep the feeling of being ill at bay for at least a minute longer. There ought to be something to get rid of that.</p><p>Swallowing harshly, he closed his eyes tightly to stave off the nausea he can feel.</p><p>A few minutes passed him by in silence.</p><p>Blissful silence, the likes of which he hadn’t had in a while.</p><p>His hackles rose at the unexpected absence of sound and movement and-</p><p>There was no one there, with him, in the room, he found out when he opened his eyes again and looked around.</p><p>There was no one around.</p><p>Ace was – by himself?</p><p>What were these people, morons?</p><p>Did they not know what he could do, what he was capable of doing, all alone, all by himself, like that? There was no telling what the people that had put him there, into that bed, were thinking – or had been thinking, when they’d put him there.</p><p>Furrowing his brows together, he frowned in consternation, barely hiding his hackles rising in response to an unknown threat that he couldn’t see yet but which he suspected was waiting for him just around the corner – just outside the door he could make out from the bed he was sitting up on by then.</p><p>There was nothing off about it, to be fair.</p><p>Nothing suspicious at all to be noticed.</p><p>That just made him warier of it, really.</p><p>Truth be told, the moments where he felt the safest in those slave quarters had also been the ones when something had been sprung on him from a direction that he hadn’t expected any such thing to happen from.</p><p>There was no telling if he was safe here or not.</p><p>Ace would remain on his guard until such a time as when he found it prudent not to have it up any longer.</p><p>(<em>“Was I a good father?”</em>)</p><p>He already knew no such moment would be waiting for him in the near future. Scowling, he thought back to what he could remember from his unexpected plunge into the-</p><p>The sea.</p><p>He’d been almost drowning, hadn’t he?</p><p>And then.</p><p>Luffy?</p><p>No.</p><p>That hadn’t been Luffy.</p><p>The knot in his chest loosened some as he ascertained to himself that that had been – someone else entirely, a stranger, whom he’d brought to the surface with him.</p><p>Hadn’t it been?</p><p>A tiny silver of doubt remained.</p><p>But Ace hadn’t brought up Luffy, he was sure of that.</p><p>No, he hadn’t.</p><p>He’d dreamed about him, though.</p><p>All the stuff that had happened in his dream – Ace wondered if it was true?</p><p>Had he been-</p><p>Had he done-</p><p>Had he thought-</p><p>And said all that?</p><p>Really?</p><p>Him?</p><p>It was confusing.</p><p>Utterly befuddling.</p><p>And strange.</p><p>Because-</p><p>When he focused-</p><p>When Ace concentrated-</p><p>He could hear, could sense, could feel-</p><p>Sabo?</p><p>And…</p><p>Luffy?</p><p>Pausing in his thoughts, he was brought out of his contemplative state when the door opened and in spilled a few men whom he didn’t – <em>did</em> – know.</p><p>No.</p><p>Which?</p><p>Both.</p><p>Both?</p><p>Did or didn’t he know them?</p><p>That – the blond one – that was <em>Marco</em>, wasn’t it?</p><p>And the brunet besides him, that was a man – <em>a cook</em> – named Thatch, correct?</p><p>Thatch. And Marco.</p><p>His shoulders tensed.</p><p>Both were Whitebeards.</p><p>And Whitebeards?</p><p>Were Pirates.</p><p>Ace knew that much.</p><p>Pirates meant nothing good.</p><p>Nothing good ever came from them.</p><p>From associating with them, from having met-</p><p>No, Ace wouldn’t be caught off guard this easily, wouldn’t-</p><p>Wouldn’t give them the opportunity, the chance to do anything to-</p><p>“Hey there, little one!” the chef cheerfully greeted him with, while Ace was still contemplating on how to best keep wary around him, in return. The exclamation was jarring. His expression had to have been befuddling, for the cook paused – nary a hint of a pause, really, for anybody who didn’t know him – <em>and how did <strong>Ace</strong>?</em> – but went on without letting on just how thrown he was by Ace’s stare, saying “Yo! Slept well?”</p><p>Ace let the silence hang in the air and speak for itself. After all, what were the Whitebeards doing with him – here, in the first place?</p><p>Wasn’t he-</p><p>Hadn’t he-</p><p>He’d been on-</p><p>In the slave quarters-</p><p>And.</p><p>This was strange.</p><p>His head hurt.</p><p>A hand went up to the side of his head with him barely noticing, his eyes unfocused but still staring at them, watching them, his breathing coming in gasps, although without him caring much about it.</p><p><em>He’d</em>-</p><p>He’d been.</p><p>Hadn’t he been a-</p><p>A <em>spirit</em>? Earlier.</p><p>And then drowning.</p><p>The images were coming to him unbidden, unprompted by anything but his memories surfacing from-</p><p>From wherever he’d stored them.</p><p>One, carefully put away, folded away memory was uncurling as he thought about it, the more he thought about it, the more he could see-</p><p>Of a prison, a short voyage and a place called Marineford.</p><p>Of a War being fought, being fought about him.</p><p>Of a desperate battlecry that-</p><p>That had gone up as-</p><p>His father, Oya-</p><p>(<em>“THE BEST!!!”</em>)</p><p>Died, didn’t he?</p><p>The blanket on his lap drew his eyes, then.</p><p>His eyes looked down at it, the fingers of his right hand clutching part of the green blanket in his hands as he allowed his gaze to go unfocused again, still in that daze, breathing heavily, his chest heaving with thoughts and breath and his heartbeat altogether and-</p><p>From afar, as though surfacing from another dream, another memory, he could hear Sabo speak, his voice older than he recognised it and rough and raspy and far away in his mind and he could hear the sounds and barely make out what was being said and <em>not make sense of any of it all the same</em>-</p><p>His brother had never sounded like that, before, and Ace was wondering where it was coming from, what he was hearing-</p><p>There was a face in front of his, then, <em>Marco</em>, telling him to “Breathe” as though through a fog, as though through some water, “Breathe with me”, he added and Ace didn’t put much thought into the action, just did it, and tried to adopt the breathing pattern that Marco gave him, the same rhythm of taking in a breath, holding it – even if it was difficult and tough and all the things he didn’t need right then and there – and then releasing it from his lungs again.</p><p>But that had been <em>Sabo</em>, before.</p><p>That had been Sabo’s words, <em>Sabo’s voice</em>, Sabo’s way of speaking, of formulating a carefully worded phrase, earlier.</p><p>He’d heard <em>Sabo</em> speak, say that to him and- Ace didn’t know what it meant.</p><p>And when the words rose up again in volume, when he heard them be spoken once more, even with all the imitation of Marco’s breathing he was doing, Ace’s lungs did not fill with air for one, long moment <em>when he heard Sabo say,</em> “<em>If you want to die, die in peace.</em>” His breath stuttered out of him, neglected, carelessly left aside in favour of a phrase he never, ever wanted to hear his brother say to him, not even in his nightmares, he would, and yet, Sabo’s voice went on, cruelly, unexpectedly cruelly, to say, “<em>If you want to live, then live. Know that we’ll support you, either way.</em>”</p><p>His stomach was falling to depths unknown.</p><p>Was Sabo… was Sabo giving up on him?</p><p>Was his brother leaving him be?</p><p>How? <em>Why?</em> Was Ace not-</p><p>Was Ace not alive, still?</p><p>No, Ace wasn’t there-</p><p>wasn’t there at all-</p><p>he was here, with-</p><p>his hands in the green blanket and he lowered his head and looked, and looked his fill at the green in the blanket, the lush, green blanket that was as soft as it was cold a colour and Ace wondered and-</p><p>Hoped.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm hoping to get the next few chapters out soon - I really should've realised by now that making a timetable and sticking to it would end up not working when life throws me curveballs such as 60+ hours invested in video gaming and so on... XD</p><p>That happens when I let my guard down and enjoy life. Ah, well, at least there's that.<br/>No more promises as for when the next chapter'll come out, folks - I most probably won't stick to them, these days.</p><p>Hope you're having fun, regardless! Thank you all for reading!</p><p>Mayhaps leave me a comment or two, if you're in the mood to? I love those!!! ;)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one has been months in the workings and is quite the personal project of mine.</p><p>Concerning the updating schedule, I have to mention that this story will be put online in all its glory by the second half of January 2021, so there's that. :)</p><p>Hope you liked it, dear readers, and that it brings you as much joy as it brings me to finally be able to put it out there! :)</p><p>Leave a comment, if you're in the mood to?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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